http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/Success-s...culture-career
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

"Sacha" wrote

http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/Success-s...culture-career


I wonder why they don't mention my friend, took early retirement/redundancy
from being a Bank Manager at 47 and talked RHS Wisley into employing him (
I'll work 7 days free and if I'm no good you can look me in the eye and tell
me to leave) became second wheelbarrow man, his words, and is now a senior
gardener in fruit.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 02/12/2013 18:41, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Sacha" wrote

http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/Success-s...culture-career

I wonder why they don't mention my friend, took early retirement/redundancy
from being a Bank Manager at 47 and talked RHS Wisley into employing him (
I'll work 7 days free and if I'm no good you can look me in the eye and tell
me to leave) became second wheelbarrow man, his words, and is now a senior
gardener in fruit.

Senior gardener in fruit??? He must have flowered particularly well
this summer! :-)

--

Jeff

"Jeff Layman" wrote

Bob Hobden wrote:
"Sacha" wrote

http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/Success-s...culture-career

I wonder why they don't mention my friend, took early
retirement/redundancy
from being a Bank Manager at 47 and talked RHS Wisley into employing him
(
I'll work 7 days free and if I'm no good you can look me in the eye and
tell
me to leave) became second wheelbarrow man, his words, and is now a
senior
gardener in fruit.

Senior gardener in fruit??? He must have flowered particularly well this
summer! :-)


Yes, OK.
The RHS still use the old system where they have gardeners for the Fruit
Department, gardeners for the Borders Dept, the Hedging Team, the Grass
Cutting Team, the Glasshouse gardeners, etc and hardly ever any movement
between these teams.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 2013-12-02 18:41:17 +0000, Bob Hobden said:

"Sacha" wrote

http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/Success-s...culture-career


I wonder why they don't mention my friend, took early
retirement/redundancy from being a Bank Manager at 47 and talked RHS
Wisley into employing him ( I'll work 7 days free and if I'm no good
you can look me in the eye and tell me to leave) became second
wheelbarrow man, his words, and is now a senior gardener in fruit.


Because they're trying to get young people, school leavers, into
gardening, I suppose? You may have heard the young gardener whose
school master told him that if the 'didn't pull his socks up', he'd end
up as a bin man or a gardener. And he said "I'd love to be a
gardener"! And now he is. Horticulture suffers from this image of it
as a 'last resort', rather than a real career. All power to your
friend and congrats for having the courage to make such a profound
change in his life but this is about school leavers and raising
horticulture from some kind of Cinderella position in last-chance job
saloons to a specific career choice, And may I say that there are some
high-profile garden experts who encourage that, even if unconsciously -
Alan Titchmarsh, Christine Walkden, Toby Buckland, Roy Lancaster,
spring to my mind. All have a thorough grounding in horticulture, not
a come-to-it-late-in-life amateur enthusiasm and really know plants,
soil, gardening. We need young people in the industry who have made a
career choice, not a "my careers teacher says I'm no good for anything
else". The skill in real gardening, real plant raising is enormous and
it needs to be recognised as such in career programmes for school
leavers.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 02/12/2013 19:44, sacha wrote:
On 2013-12-02 18:41:17 +0000, Bob Hobden said:

"Sacha" wrote

http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/Success-s...culture-career



I wonder why they don't mention my friend, took early
retirement/redundancy from being a Bank Manager at 47 and talked RHS
Wisley into employing him ( I'll work 7 days free and if I'm no good
you can look me in the eye and tell me to leave) became second
wheelbarrow man, his words, and is now a senior gardener in fruit.


Because they're trying to get young people, school leavers, into
gardening, I suppose? You may have heard the young gardener whose
school master told him that if the 'didn't pull his socks up', he'd end
up as a bin man or a gardener. And he said "I'd love to be a
gardener"! And now he is. Horticulture suffers from this image of it
as a 'last resort', rather than a real career. All power to your
friend and congrats for having the courage to make such a profound
change in his life but this is about school leavers and raising
horticulture from some kind of Cinderella position in last-chance job
saloons to a specific career choice, And may I say that there are some
high-profile garden experts who encourage that, even if unconsciously -
Alan Titchmarsh, Christine Walkden, Toby Buckland, Roy Lancaster, spring
to my mind. All have a thorough grounding in horticulture, not a
come-to-it-late-in-life amateur enthusiasm and really know plants, soil,
gardening. We need young people in the industry who have made a career
choice, not a "my careers teacher says I'm no good for anything else".
The skill in real gardening, real plant raising is enormous and it needs
to be recognised as such in career programmes for school leavers.


Oh Come on Sacha,
Everyone knows that as long as you can push a wheel barrow and use a
broom you can be a gardener if you can use a spade and a hoe then you
are really skilled.
The real problem is that in the UK the "Work Ethic" has almost vanished,
which is why we have so many workers from Eastern Europe now working in
British Horticulture.
The Average Brit would rather sit on his/her backside and do sweet FA.
A few years in further education and Uni and they are much to good to
work with their hands
It's time that Career advisers or vocational guidance advisers or what
ever they call themselves learned just what is available and required in
today's employment market, and schools/colleges got away from the
thinking that 70% of pupils going on to Uni then being largely
unemployed/ unemployable is better that having the same numbers in work.
I can teach a totally blind person to travel with a cane in a busy City
Centre and to cross roads, but I can't have a modern apprentice do any
work, such as water plants with a hose pipe unsupervised for 2 years.
Crazy

David @ a still dry side of Swansea Bay

On 2013-12-02 20:14:05 +0000, David Hill said:

On 02/12/2013 19:44, sacha wrote:
On 2013-12-02 18:41:17 +0000, Bob Hobden said:

"Sacha" wrote

http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/Success-s...culture-career



I wonder why they don't mention my friend, took early
retirement/redundancy from being a Bank Manager at 47 and talked RHS
Wisley into employing him ( I'll work 7 days free and if I'm no good
you can look me in the eye and tell me to leave) became second
wheelbarrow man, his words, and is now a senior gardener in fruit.


Because they're trying to get young people, school leavers, into
gardening, I suppose? You may have heard the young gardener whose
school master told him that if the 'didn't pull his socks up', he'd end
up as a bin man or a gardener. And he said "I'd love to be a
gardener"! And now he is. Horticulture suffers from this image of it
as a 'last resort', rather than a real career. All power to your
friend and congrats for having the courage to make such a profound
change in his life but this is about school leavers and raising
horticulture from some kind of Cinderella position in last-chance job
saloons to a specific career choice, And may I say that there are some
high-profile garden experts who encourage that, even if unconsciously -
Alan Titchmarsh, Christine Walkden, Toby Buckland, Roy Lancaster, spring
to my mind. All have a thorough grounding in horticulture, not a
come-to-it-late-in-life amateur enthusiasm and really know plants, soil,
gardening. We need young people in the industry who have made a career
choice, not a "my careers teacher says I'm no good for anything else".
The skill in real gardening, real plant raising is enormous and it needs
to be recognised as such in career programmes for school leavers.


Oh Come on Sacha,
Everyone knows that as long as you can push a wheel barrow and use a
broom you can be a gardener if you can use a spade and a hoe then you
are really skilled.
The real problem is that in the UK the "Work Ethic" has almost
vanished, which is why we have so many workers from Eastern Europe now
working in British Horticulture.
The Average Brit would rather sit on his/her backside and do sweet FA.
A few years in further education and Uni and they are much to good to
work with their hands
It's time that Career advisers or vocational guidance advisers or what
ever they call themselves learned just what is available and required
in today's employment market, and schools/colleges got away from the
thinking that 70% of pupils going on to Uni then being largely
unemployed/ unemployable is better that having the same numbers in work.
I can teach a totally blind person to travel with a cane in a busy City
Centre and to cross roads, but I can't have a modern apprentice do any
work, such as water plants with a hose pipe unsupervised for 2 years.
Crazy

David @ a still dry side of Swansea Bay

Yes, it's a question of rods for backs there. We know of someone who
started working in a bank (iirc), thought it was a dead end job and
trained to be an electrician. He is now never out of work and must be
taking home a small fortune. It was a good system when each tradesman
had a 'boy' working beside him and learning a trade. I wish we had the
old 'technical colleges' for those who didn't want to go on to
University but did want to make a career that didn't require a degree.
I can't help wondering if there wouldn't be more people keen and eager
to learn and remain in steady and lucrative work.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

"Sacha" wrote in message ...

On 2013-12-02 20:14:05 +0000, David Hill said:

On 02/12/2013 19:44, sacha wrote:
On 2013-12-02 18:41:17 +0000, Bob Hobden said:

"Sacha" wrote

http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/Success-s...culture-career



I wonder why they don't mention my friend, took early
retirement/redundancy from being a Bank Manager at 47 and talked RHS
Wisley into employing him ( I'll work 7 days free and if I'm no good
you can look me in the eye and tell me to leave) became second
wheelbarrow man, his words, and is now a senior gardener in fruit.


Because they're trying to get young people, school leavers, into
gardening, I suppose? You may have heard the young gardener whose
school master told him that if the 'didn't pull his socks up', he'd end
up as a bin man or a gardener. And he said "I'd love to be a
gardener"! And now he is. Horticulture suffers from this image of it
as a 'last resort', rather than a real career. All power to your
friend and congrats for having the courage to make such a profound
change in his life but this is about school leavers and raising
horticulture from some kind of Cinderella position in last-chance job
saloons to a specific career choice, And may I say that there are some
high-profile garden experts who encourage that, even if unconsciously -
Alan Titchmarsh, Christine Walkden, Toby Buckland, Roy Lancaster, spring
to my mind. All have a thorough grounding in horticulture, not a
come-to-it-late-in-life amateur enthusiasm and really know plants, soil,
gardening. We need young people in the industry who have made a career
choice, not a "my careers teacher says I'm no good for anything else".
The skill in real gardening, real plant raising is enormous and it needs
to be recognised as such in career programmes for school leavers.


Oh Come on Sacha,
Everyone knows that as long as you can push a wheel barrow and use a broom
you can be a gardener if you can use a spade and a hoe then you are really
skilled.
The real problem is that in the UK the "Work Ethic" has almost vanished,
which is why we have so many workers from Eastern Europe now working in
British Horticulture.
The Average Brit would rather sit on his/her backside and do sweet FA.
A few years in further education and Uni and they are much to good to work
with their hands
It's time that Career advisers or vocational guidance advisers or what
ever they call themselves learned just what is available and required in
today's employment market, and schools/colleges got away from the thinking
that 70% of pupils going on to Uni then being largely unemployed/
unemployable is better that having the same numbers in work.
I can teach a totally blind person to travel with a cane in a busy City
Centre and to cross roads, but I can't have a modern apprentice do any
work, such as water plants with a hose pipe unsupervised for 2 years.
Crazy

David @ a still dry side of Swansea Bay

Yes, it's a question of rods for backs there. We know of someone who
started working in a bank (iirc), thought it was a dead end job and
trained to be an electrician. He is now never out of work and must be
taking home a small fortune. It was a good system when each tradesman
had a 'boy' working beside him and learning a trade. I wish we had the
old 'technical colleges' for those who didn't want to go on to
University but did want to make a career that didn't require a degree.
I can't help wondering if there wouldn't be more people keen and eager
to learn and remain in steady and lucrative work.
--

Sacha

.................................................. ...............

Well I thought it was country wide, but judging by the above post,
apparently not. Here on the Isle of Wight we have what are called
'Apprentices' with 4 systems to oversee that they are getting the right
training. Any trade or 'hands on' profession from gardening to hotels and
from engineering to hairdressing. Proper systems with a great ceremony at
the end where all those who qualified are presented with their
qualification. I was invited to the one this year and it certainly is a
superb system, very much like the one we had 50 odd years ago when I did my
Apprenticeship.

Perhaps the rest of the country could learn something from the Isle of
Wight.

Mike
---------------------------------------------------------------
www.hmscollingwoodassociation.com
www.rneba.org.uk











www.helpforheroes.org.uk

In article ,
says...
I wish we had the

old 'technical colleges' for those who didn't want to go on to
University but did want to make a career that didn't require a degree.

You just haven't a clue about career training; that's exactly what
countless local FE colleges and UTC's provide. Most apprentices and
young trainees attend college to obtain the technical accreditations
required these days. Employers get govt funding to take on trainees.
Colleges also arrange work placements.

http://www.cityandguilds.com/Courses-and-Qualifications

http://www.utcolleges.org/


It's mere months since you were berating the RHS for not encouraging
young career gardeners.. based on your equal ignorance of what the RHS
does.

Janet.