Tag Archive for: Training

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

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Ventrac package for Leicester training centre: Leicester City Football Club, last season’s FA Cup winners, is the latest organisation to appreciate the multiple benefits of Ventrac.

Delivered by local dealer, Farols, the package included a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor in dual-wheel configuration, a Contour mowing deck, Trencher and Power Broom and will be used to maintain their new world-class training centre of at Seagrave in Leicestershire.

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

Following a demonstration earlier this year and with input from his team, John Ledwidge, Head of Sports Turf and Grounds at the Premier League club, specified the purchase.  He is an integral part of the team that has developed the world-class training facility, where he oversees the management and development of the 180-acre site. This includes the equivalent of 14 turf pitches, synthetic pitches, a 9-hole golf course and the world’s first dedicated Sports Turf Academy.

Commenting on the latest addition to the machinery fleet, he said,

“Our owner is passionate about this football club and the community we share. He wants the very best and this facility demonstrates that commitment. We all share his vision and our aim is to make this the premier training centre in Europe.

“To be fair, we took a lot of our inspiration from the exceptional job Darren Baldwin has done at Tottenham’s facility, where we first saw the Ventrac in action during the research phase of the plan. I’d also seen it at various trade fairs and in the media. We needed a machine that was highly versatile, that can help us here improve a site that’s going to be constantly evolving over the next five years.

“The Contour deck helps us maintain the numerous banks and sloped areas around the complex, including ‘Mount Vardy’, the nickname we’ve given to a landscaped area of unused spoil from the original build. It is also used on the golf course where its articulated design prevents scalping. We’ve used the Trencher to insert drainage bands in some particularly wet areas of the golf course and the Power Broom does a great job on the pathways and carparks. It’s all about quality presentation and the versatility of the Ventrac helps us achieve the high standards demanded here.”

Chris Minton is the club’s Head Mechanic, supervising a team of three in the state-of-the-art Maintenance Facility located within the Sports Turf Academy building. Commenting on the Ventrac he said, “It’s a very good and impressive piece of kit; robustly constructed and powerful, considering it has a sub-25 hp engine. It’s simple to work on, all the belts are easily accessible as are the greasing points and the flip-up decks make our job easier when we need to access the blades or blade spindles. Definitely a very good addition to our fleet.”

John Ledwidge’s career

John began his career in 2002 as an apprentice groundsman at Coventry City where, at the tender age of 19, he was promoted to Deputy Head Groundsman. In 2008 he was appointed Assistant Grounds Manager at Aston Villa and 18 months later returned to Coventry to take up the Head Groundsman role, where he was responsible for directing pitch preparations for the London 2012 Olympics at the City of Coventry Stadium (now the Ricoh Arena).

Following the much-publicised issues at Coventry during this time, he then joined Ricoh Arena in the role of Grounds Manager and in 2014 was successful when he applied for Head Groundsman’s position at Leicester City. In 2016 he was promoted to Grounds Manager and then in July 2019 he took up his current role as Head of Sports Turf and Grounds, where he leads a team of 52 staff working across multiple sites and is actively involved in the ongoing development and investment in the class-leading sports turf surfaces at the club.

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John Deere’s new apprentice training centre

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John Deere’s new apprentice training centre: John Deere and training provider ProVQ have announced plans to open a brand new Apprentice Training Centre this autumn, at a farm site in Upper Saxondale near Bingham in Nottinghamshire. This will mark the 30th anniversary of the company’s first Ag Tech apprentice intake, who were enrolled at original partner Brooksby Melton College in 1992.

Designed specifically and solely for John Deere dealer apprentices attending the company’s award winning Ag Tech, Turf Tech and Parts Tech training programmes, the first John Deere Apprentice Training Centre was established at Radcliffe-on-Trent five years ago. These premises have now been outgrown, due to the programmes’ success and increasing dealer demand.

John Deere's new apprentice training centre

John Deere’s new apprentice training centre

The Ag ,Turf and Parts Tech apprenticeships focus on developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for dealer personnel of the future. Each year group trains at the centre for up to eight weeks a year in four blocks of two weeks. Some of this time is also spent at John Deere’s Langar HQ when working with the largest equipment and the latest technologies.

John Deere appointed ProVQ Limited in summer 2015 as its new business partner to deliver the apprentice training programmes on behalf of its dealers in the UK & Ireland. Since that time the strength of the partnership has allowed the programmes to develop and grow to meet the needs and expectations of a modern John Deere dealership. The current full-time ProVQ staff will continue to be managed by James Haslam at the new Apprentice Training Centre from the autumn.

ProVQ started its apprentice training programmes in 2005, and went on to develop a full range of national services including apprentice recruitment, training, vocational assessment and qualifications. Today the company trains over 600 apprentices and many hundreds of adult learners on technical, parts and customer service programmes.

“We are really looking forward to establishing this new bespoke facility close to our UK headquarters at Langar,” said John Deere Limited training centre manager Allan Cochran. “Our joint investment in the expanded Apprentice Training Centre will be in the region of £1.5 million. This will allow us to continue our growth and ambition to attract more young talent to develop successful careers in land-based engineering through the John Deere agricultural, turf and forestry dealer network.

“As our dealership businesses continue to grow, there is increasing demand for qualified technicians equipped with the correct knowledge and skills to support that growth. We have therefore recognised the need to increase the capacity of our already successful and industry leading training programmes even further.

John Deere's new apprentice training centre

John Deere’s new apprentice training centre

“The new site will feature a purpose-built two-storey unit in addition to refurbished and extended farm buildings, effectively almost doubling our available square footage. The premises will include a bigger workshop space as well as larger classroom and cafeteria facilities.

“Most importantly, this will give us the capability to double our throughput of trained technicians to meet dealer demand. ProVQ will maintain its current staffing levels and continue to provide the full suite of apprentice technician training programmes at the new premises.”

ProVQ managing director Stuart Jones added: “Together with John Deere, we have already jointly developed a very high quality training environment in which apprentices can learn to master the technology that underpins the company’s comprehensive agricultural and amenity turf product ranges.

“We are now looking forward to seeing many more young people come through the doors of our new training centre at the start of what is undoubtedly a very exciting and rewarding career in engineering and parts support. The facilities we are developing will help them to achieve their full potential in a rapidly changing industry that offers a great opportunity to work with some of the most advanced technologies supporting food production, land management and environmental sustainability.”

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GMA expands online training

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GMA expands online training: Today, the Grounds Management Association (GMA) is announcing the latest addition to its online training with its new course, Level 3 – Winter Pitches ‘Advanced Turf Culture’ for experienced volunteers and professionals.

The new online course is ideal for experienced volunteers and grounds team members, and will help participants understand the advanced technical aspects of turf maintenance, and how they form an integral part of a detailed maintenance programme. The course will also support participants in getting the most from their playing surfaces in terms of quality standards and carrying capacity.

GMA expands online training

GMA expands online training

Upon successful completion, participants will have improved their knowledge of winter pitch care management by taking modules that cover soil nutrient testing, grass cultivars and evaluation, control of threats to turf health, health and safety, and the influence of drainage, soil type and compaction, all of which will impact on the carrying capacity of pitches. In addition, the course addresses key skills such as planning winter maintenance programmes and managing surfaces in order to optimise carrying capacity.

Level 3 – Winter Pitches ‘Advanced Turf Culture’ takes approximately 6 hours to complete and consists of 7 informative lessons with content produced by the GMA’s specialist technical and learning team. It is priced at £150 for non-members, but with GMA members receiving discounts of 30%, the course can be available for just £110.

Jason Booth, Chief Operations Officer, said: “Our online learning has been a huge success, and we’re really pleased to be launching this course not long after reaching the milestone of 1000 sign-ups to online training since we first launched it back in May 2020. We’re determined to ensure that grounds staff at all levels have the opportunity to learn and develop their skills, despite the challenges that national restrictions and lockdowns create. With high rainfall and snow ahead of us, launching Level 3 – Winter Pitches ‘Advanced Turf Culture’ now was the clear next step to our online offerings.”

“Following our Level 1 and Level 2 online training courses that cover the basics of grounds maintenance and management, we believe that those who already have some experience also have the opportunity to improve. It also offers inexperienced grounds staff the chance to improve their skills and capabilities through online modules that support their development.”

The GMA will continue to develop and introduce new online training courses for a range of sports as the seasons and weather change throughout the year.

To upskill your knowledge through the GMA’s training courses, or for more information on bespoke training sessions, visit www.thegma.org.uk/learning or email learning@thegma.org.uk

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GMA launches online training

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GMA launches online training: Grounds Management Association, the leading not-for-profit organisation for grounds professionals and volunteers, announces further support for its Individual, Organisation and Corporate members during the Coronavirus outbreak.

This news follows its latest Covid-19 guidance for the sector, and Grounds Management Association (GMA) is offering payment deferral on membership fees for up to three-months. Any new members signing-up by direct debit before July will also receive a three-month deferral.

GMA launches online training

GMA launches online training

On 5 May, GMA launches its new online learning courses boosting the nations grounds care skills to get the best results out of sport surfaces, which can be put into play as soon as normal working resumes. The training covers the maintenance of sport surfaces and facilities at grassroots level – which allows the opportunity to enhance practical skills with a sound understanding of turfgrass basics.

Level 1 training is suitable for both professionals and volunteers, and the courses include cricket, football, rugby league and rugby union. Each participant will receive a certificate upon completion and be signposted to practical videos to use after the session.

The training aims to help build a cohort of skilled grounds staff and volunteers and make sport possible across the nation, helping to increase the number of games played on natural turf pitches, resulting in even better user experiences.

The online courses follow the theory content of the traditional course and the online learning allows participants to join a virtual community, receive remote mentoring, and enhance career prospects.

GMA is also developing a progressive online training package of courses for both professionals and volunteers, including Level 2 and 3 to compliment the skills required beyond Level 1.

Geoff Webb, CEO at Grounds Management Association said: “We know our member’s lives are impacted at the moment. In difficult times, it’s positive to know that we have a really strong community and we want to ensure our services and benefits support our members in a variety of ways.”

Jason Booth, Director of Technical and Learning: “This month, we’ve seen the community spirit of groundspeople strengthen and grow more than ever before.

“We have an amazing industry that thrives when working outdoors, and I hope our online learning helps keep professionals and volunteers motivated about their passion and career progression. We’re dedicated to skills development and have quickly adapted our leading learning modules to give members the digital access they’re calling for.”

GMA is also in regular discussion with sport NGBs to provide latest sport-specific guidance regarding the outbreak of Coronavirus, which will be updated monthly and published online.

Sign-up here for Grounds Management Association’s new online learning – learning@thegma.org.uk (phone 01908 552982), or for membership, including to make a claim for a deferral please email membership@thegma.org.uk.

In addition, GMA is networking closely with Perennial – a free and confidential support service for individuals working in horticulture. It also extends to spouses, partners and children, supporting on mental health, bereavement and financial affairs. Members can also access Law Express for free and impartial personal, or business legal advice.

Julia Hayne, Director of Services at Perennial, says:

“We know people are worried; it’s only natural to be concerned about your own health, your ability to continue working and to support your family. We are all facing unprecedented challenges as we adjust to new ways of working and Perennial is determined to remain available and active for everyone.”

Members can access Perennial’s free support line on 0800 093 8543, or visit perennial.org.uk, and Law Express services can be accessed via the Grounds Management Association’s member portal.

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New training from BASIS and STRI

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New training from BASIS and STRI: BASIS and the STRI have joined forces to provide a new modular training course that will help greenkeepers, groundsmen and amenity contractors to protect the environments in which they work.

At a time when climate change is high on the agenda, the Managing Ecological and Environmental Landscapes (MEEL) qualification is designed for professionals involved in enhancing the ecological and environmental features of the landscape from a golf or amenity perspective.

New training from BASIS and STRI

Speaking at the launch at BTME, Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO, said the new qualification will provide a core module, followed by a choice of specialisms, one for greenkeepers, and the other for professionals managing municipal landscapes.

“The golf specialism will focus on an integrated approach to habitat management, regeneration and creation, all which the sports turf sector already recognises as vital to achieving environmental sustainability while continuing to maximise the enjoyment of golf,” he said.

“The amenity specialism is geared towards professionals involved in creating management plans for enhancing environmental features of the landscape such as woodlands, wetlands and hedgerows.

“We’re delighted to provide candidates with the opportunity to further increase knowledge and understanding of their specific role, to provide the highest quality landscapes, while playing a key part in protecting the environment,” Stephen added.

The course has been developed with the STRI over the last two years, taking industry feedback into account to ensure each module is tailored to the particular needs of greenkeepers or groundsmen and amenity contractors.

Commenting on the training structure, Dr Christian Spring, STRI research and operations manager said, over four days the course will be delivered by a team of experts at the STRI, and will combine classroom and practical learning sessions.

“This new qualification is a fantastic opportunity for those working in the amenity industry to take the next step in their career, and we look forward to the first intake later this year,” concluded Christian.

The first course is set to commence in autumn 2020, with further dates to follow. For information on dates and timings please visit https://www.basis-reg.co.uk/training or contact 01335 343945.

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