A new level 3 Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship is set to be rolled out in the UK. The apprenticeship has been approved by the UK Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).
The training will be provided by the Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) and will provide golf greenkeepers and other sports turf apprentices with advanced knowledge as they work to produce exceptional playing surfaces from grassroots through to professional levels.
During 2020, IfATE undertook a review of apprenticeship standards within associated industries.
The Advanced Golf Greenkeeper Apprenticeship had been approved for delivery in January 2020 but as a result of the review, the Greenkeeper Trailblazer and Sports Turf Trailblazer groups were approached by IfATE to develop a Level 3 Standard and End-point Assessment Plan (EPA) that could sit across both disciplines.
Master GreenKeeper Les Howkins, chair of the Golf Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group, said: “It is great that we have been able to come together and work with the Sports Turf Trailblazer Group to develop a comprehensive Level 3 apprenticeship that we feel works across all disciplines within the sports turf sector and provides a career progression from the well-established Level 2. Following a lot of hard work alongside the Sports Turf group, we believe the Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship delivers what employers and apprentices in our sector need.”
Delivery director at IfATE, Robert Nitsch, said: “We are pleased to announce that the Advanced Sports Turf Technician Level 3 apprenticeship has been approved for delivery. The Sports Turf and Golf Greenkeeping Trailblazer groups have worked together to develop a standard suitable for sports turf technicians across a wide range of settings. This apprenticeship will form part of a suite of sports turf and golf greenkeeping apprenticeships and will provide a progression route for those previously achieving Level 2 qualifications. The apprenticeship will become the recognised standard for all advanced sports turf technicians.”
The Advanced Golf Greenkeeper apprenticeship will continue to be offered until it is decommissioned in 2023. The latest start date for apprentices will be 31 August 2023. There is no impact on those already registered on that standard.
For more information on the Advanced Sports Turf Apprenticeship, contact The GTC’s Fiona Lyttle on (01347) 838 640 or fiona@the-gtc.co.uk