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Apprenticeship Week Celebrated

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Apprenticeship Week Celebrated: Renfrewshire is marking Scottish Apprenticeship Week with a series of events designed to encourage young women to consider careers in traditionally male dominated sectors.

The week celebrates the benefits apprenticeships bring to businesses, individuals and the economy, and coincides with International Women’s Day on Thursday.

Apprenticeship Week Celebrated

Apprentice greenkeeper Heather Love is used to being one of the few women in her role but hopes more will follow in her footsteps.

The 21-year has been working at Barshaw Public Golf Course since 2016, when she started an apprenticeship with Renfrewshire Council .

The former Park Mains High pupil from Erskine, helps maintain the grounds and equipment, as well as tending the greens.

Heather also attends a Sports Turf course at specialist centre Gosta Training in Glasgow and  said: “I’ve always enjoyed working outside and wanted to be a gardener originally. When I saw this apprenticeship advertised I decided to go for it, especially as the role wasn’t seasonal but all year.

“As well as working outdoors it also sent me to college, so the apprenticeship means that I get the best of both worlds.

“There’s always plenty to do, I prune, sweep leaves and cut the greens and tees and make sure they are tidy and look after machinery.

“I’ve also had experience on football pitches and bowling greens. It’s still quite a man’s world although there is another woman on another team that I don’t work with directly.

“My favourite part of the job is working outside – quiet mornings and sunrises are the best and I find it satisfying seeing a freshly cut green.”

Heather says she hopes that more women will find the confidence to pursue traditionally male dominated careers.

She added:  “There are only a handful of women doing this and I hope more women will apply.

“Learning something completely new is great and I love playing a part in something much bigger and being a female in a male dominated field.

“We are built differently to men and sometimes I do have to work a bit harder to lift things for example but I’d say to any other females who are thinking about a similar career or apprenticeship to just to go for it.”

There will be a series of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) events for young women at various venues across Renfrewshire.

The Young Women into Stem initiative is being delivered in partnership by Renfrewshire Council, DYW West, Invest in Renfrewshire, West College Scotland and a number of local businesses.

It was set up to address how women are underrepresented in the sector and encourages them to apply for apprenticeships by forging links between employers, colleges and schools.

At West College Scotland’s Paisley campus this week, students will complete specific pieces of work which will enhance their skillset, covering bricklaying and painting and decorating.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are hosting an event on Thursday at Paisley’s Royal Alexandria Hospital where school pupils will visit the engineering departments, clinics and laboratories and will be given an insight into the various job roles.

They will also hear about the apprenticeship opportunities available.

Morrison Construction will take students on a tour of the St Paul’s School site in Paisley to give an understanding of what is required to keep the project on track and to deliver a high quality build.

One of Morrison’s female quantity surveyors will also be on-hand to share her experience of working within this sector.

Paisley firm Clark Contacts will give students a tour of its head office where they will learn about the company’s in house academy and the roles available, from estimating and quantity surveying to marketing.

They will meet also many of the firms female employees and have the opportunity to discuss their experience of the sector.

Rolls Royce Inchinnan is hosting a site visit of its engineering plant on International Women’s Day, with all attendees asked to wear purple to mark the day which celebrates women across the globe.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “In line with the rest of Scotland, Renfrewshire has a significant gender gap in terms of so few young women going into the traditionally male dominated careers of construction, science, technology and engineering .

“It’s vital to open up their horizons and provide access to STEM opportunities and I’m delighted that so many will have the chance to find out about a wide range of jobs during Scottish Apprenticeship Week.”

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Tehidy Park Golf Club Picks Toro

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Tehidy Park Golf Club Picks Toro to enable year-round play: Tehidy Park Golf Club in Cornwall has chosen Toro for the first time as it takes a new approach to its course machinery replacement to ensure a better golfing experience for its members, including year-round open play.

Club secretary, Ian Veale, says there were two reasons behind opting for a five-year machinery replacement programme: “In 2017 we received a VAT refund. With the help of that, we decided to invest it into what we believe will bring the most benefit to the club and its members, something everyone will enjoy, and that is new machinery to improve playability and help with the challenging conditions of the course.”

Tehidy Park Golf Club Picks Toro

Although only two miles from the North Cornwall coast, the 18-hole par 71 course is very much parkland in nature with heavy clay-based soil, and that was an important factor in the decision-making process of what machinery the fleet should comprise. Ian says: “Because of the clay-based soil, drainage is difficult and the course can become water-logged in inclement weather.”

The popular ProCore 648 and ProPass broadcast-style top dresser forms the club’s new renovation fleet and will be used to increase the frequency of its aeration programme. Traditionally held in March and October, the plan is to be more consistent and regular with the aeration and renovation of the course throughout the year.

“We see the Toro ProCore and ProPass top dresser, and a change in the aeration programme, as the key to alleviating the problems that can occur in bad weather, and we see this as something that can easily be achieved with little to no interruption to play. We literally will be preparing for a rainy day!

“If the machinery fleet does this, then it will have been an investment well made. As with most clubs our priority are our members, and if we can improve the terrain so the course is at its optimum throughout the year that’s better for everyone.”

But the order, through dealer Devon Garden Machinery, doesn’t end there, it also includes mowers. A Groundsmaster 4300-D and a Reelmaster 3100-D with Sidewinder, chosen because the club, which is on the County rota as a tournament venue and regularly hosts the Men’s and Women’s Championships will, for the first time, hold both Championships in its centenary year in 2022.

Ian says: “These machines were considered to be the ones to get the grass in the best possible condition for preparations for the all-important year.”

All the machinery chosen was well considered by Ian and head greenkeeper Andrew Eddison to tackle the terrain and bring a new approach to the club’s course maintenance. Ian continues: “It’s the start of a five-year partnership agreement which was not taken on lightly. Andrew and the team spent many months trialing machines here at the course to test their capabilities on this terrain, and their ability to not only keep on top of the course, but make the big changes we want to see, which is what this investment is all about.

“We’re investing in our main asset, which is the course, and it had to be the right decision. Andrew always said he knew Toro was meant to be the best, but the only way to be sure of that was to see it here in action. Toro proved itself, above and beyond the original order, and we have recently purchased another machine.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Fast Greens At Knole Park GC

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Fast Greens At Knole Park GC: Located within the boundaries of Knole Estates in 1,000 acres of outstanding Kent parkland and with 600 deer roaming freely around the estate is a club like no other. 

Knole Park is one of the most unique courses in the country; not only for the aforementioned reasons, but also for the fact that this one course plays home to two clubs. 

Fast Greens At Knole Park GC

Course manager at the club, which is home to Knole Park Golf Club and Sevenoaks Town Golf Club, is Gavin Kyle who has been at the club for 15 years. Gavin keeps a regular annual machinery replacement programme and this year he had a focus on choosing the right machines to create firm, true, fast surfaces, which is where Toro joins the story.  

 “It is important to consistently maintain a challenge for players,” says Gavin. “It’s for this reason that recent years have seen us extend the course by 200 yards, with further extension planned in the next year. There is a fine balance between offering a good game to all golfers, including those with a five handicap and below. We have players of all abilities across our two-club membership including a lot of scratch players and our greens needed an update this year to offer a consistent challenge to all.  

“When choosing our next greens machines we checked out the market, going through rounds of demos from distributors. If I’m honest I haven’t bought Toro since I’ve been at Knole Park, so for 15 years! But Toro is renowned for its greens machines in particular so were naturally included on the demo list. What appealed with the Greensmaster TriFlex 3420-H machines, which we went for, was that they’re hybrids. I sought to reduce the risk of hydraulic leaks on the greens and I wanted the advanced control these machines can offer.” 

The TriFlex Hybrid’s electric cylinder circuit is designed to eliminate up to 90 percent of hydraulic leaks, and the Turf Guardian leak detection system provides immediate audio and visual indication of possible leaks. Plus, the electric cylinders have less drag and spin more freely than hydraulic motors providing a sharp cut which leads to firmer and faster greens, exactly what Gavin is after. “Firm, true and fast greens is what we’re all after and the Toro TriFlex is helping us achieve this at Knole Park,” he confirms.  

Providing the advanced control Gavin mentioned is the machines’ Info Centre, which has an easily customised clip for different heights of cut as well as other operational settings to give complete machine control on cylinder speed, hours of function, system voltage for cylinders and diagnostic descriptions. It’s this that provides the advanced control that appealed to Gavin in the TriFlexes.  

But as Gavin goes on to say, it’s never just as simple as the machines: “A machine is often only as good as the backup that comes with it. We’re dealing direct with Reesink Turfcare for the first time and we’ve found that to be a great experience so far.” 

It seems opportune that Toro arrives back at Knole Park for the first time since the 1970s in the year that it hosted the Tillman Trophy, the tournament widely attributed to changing the face of amateur golf. We’re sure with Toro on side, Gavin and his greenkeeping team of six will change the challenge of the course for all its members.

For more information, visit: www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Apprenticeships At Leicester City

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Apprenticeships At Leicester City: Leicester City Football Club has become the latest in a length list of Premier League Football Clubs to choose Myerscough College as their apprenticeships delivery partner. 

 The implementation of the Apprenticeships Levy has seen the club invest heavily in the recruitment of new apprentices and also taken the chance to upskill existing staff to a higher level of competency. 

Apprenticeships At Leicester City

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with the team as they prepared the stadium pitch for an FA Cup fixture. As part of the day we also allowed Leah, Josh and Ryan the chance to explain why they chose an apprenticeship and what skills they are developing. 

As part of their apprenticeship Josh, Leah and Ryan will learn a wide range of skills, and rotate across sites also working at the Belvoir Drive training complex. This ensures their experiences are as varied as possible as they learn the complexities of the job. They’re supported with regular college tutor visits, technical workshops and access to a sophisticated e-portfolio and virtual learning environment, where they can log their training and complete any associated knowledge assignments. Myerscough has a proven track record in apprenticeship delivery and this blended approach has delivered significant success over the past decade. 

Grounds Manager at Leicester City, John Ledwidge, shares his vision for the award winning team, and the need to be at the forefront of learning, innovation and technology: “For us it’s always about a team effort. It’s vital that we maintain our playing surfaces to the highest standards possible and we embrace any innovation technologies that allow is to achieve this. Apprenticeships allow us the chance to recruit new workers into our team and to shape their training to our model of excellence. The Apprenticeships Levy has allowed us to now enroll seven members of our team onto apprenticeship programmes at level 2 and level 3. 

 ‘’We have also recently recruited three new team members straight onto apprenticeships. This is a significant investment from the club and allows us for succession planning and internal team development. Myerscough College come highly recommended and we look forward to seeing our apprentices develop. We have exciting plans for the future and hope our new apprentices play a big part in our future success.” 

 Employer Services Manager at Myerscough College shares his thoughts on recruiting apprentices: “We assist employers across the country to recruit and train apprentices. It’s fantastic that Leicester City have chosen us as their sportsturf apprenticeships provider and I am looking forward to seeing the journey the apprentices make as they develop in their new roles.  

 ‘’If any employers are unsure about Apprenticeships, or the recruitment process, then they can get in touch with our expert Employer Services Team who will support them every step of the way. This service is completely free of charge to all businesses choosing Myerscough College as their Apprenticeships provider.” 

For more information, visit: www.myerscough.ac.uk

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Koro Field Topmaker At Provo GC

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Koro Field Topmaker At Provo GC: Golf courses find their home in a variety of places, but Provo Golf Course, based in the Turks & Caicos Islands, is located on the edge of a 40-square mile island, which makes it one of the more unique locations, providing with it the unique challenges of Caribbean weather.

Whilst the thought of an endless summer brings golfers to the resort, the perpetual heat allows thatch to grow in vast quantities, leaving course superintendent, Tim Mack, seeking an alternative more effective machine than his current system, to remove thatch from his fairways and roughs.

Koro Field Topmaker At Provo GC

Online research and further examination in person at a GCSAA tradeshow culminated in the decision to use the KoroÒ FIELD TOPMAKERÒ (FTM) with UniverseÒ rotor, with a particular focus on removing thatch rather than removing the surface completely.

“Providenciales has an arid and hot climate. We have 365 days of growing weather (nothing goes dormant), which means we produce an ample amount of thatch,” Tim explains. “Also, weed and insect pressure are high due to no eradication from temperature changes.

“In other words, everything is a perennial, there are no annuals here. Some other unique challenges relate to being on a 40-square mile island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. We have no natural fresh water sources, so we utilize R.O. water – which is very expensive – blended with some well (brackish) and reclaimed water (brackish). Salt management is a major component of our management strategies.

“I think the Universe® rotor for the Koro® FTM® is a fantastic tool for thatch management, but currently, we are using the FTMÒ with Universe® rotor, for a turf conversion project, changing from Bermuda to Seashore Paspalum. After eradicating the existing turf with several pesticide applications, we were able to strip 30 acres (front 9 wall to wall) with the machine in 3 weeks, which we were very impressed by. We will use the same strategy for the back 9 next summer.”

Koro Field Topmaker At Provo GC

Despite the initial purpose of the machine being to remove thatch, Tim has used it on a number of other areas around the course, taking full advantage of what the patented Universe® Rotor and KORO® FTMÒ offer. In replacing his previous machine, he believes he now has much more powerful, efficient and cleaner end product, something that’s vital for surface hygiene in a continuous growing environment.

Using the Koro® to its full extent means with the 10mm Universe® blades, I have been able to strip the first 9 holes, and with the 3mm Universe® Finesse blades we will be going into future operations for verti-cutting fairways and larger tees a couple of times a year, as well as other plans.  It is a very versatile and well-built piece of equipment, and we are very happy that we chose to purchase a KoroÒ FIELDTOPMAKER® complete with Universe® rotor.

“We are very pleased with the efficiency and accuracy of the machine.  Also, Richard Campey and his team have provided great support.

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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