By Sarah Cosgrove
Monday, 10 February 2014
The APL has opened its entry process for this year’s WorldSkillsUK Landscape Gardening competition.
2013 winners: Daniel Handley of Sparsholt College in Hampshire and Daniel Brennen from Derby College, Derby
The Landscape Gardening competition is open to all students and apprentices who are studying for either a Level 2 or Level 3 S/NVQ qualification in a relevant horticultural subject. The online entry portal is open from February 10 to March 21.
The competition will feature a theory test and a heat which will take the form of building competition gardens at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2014, the winners going on to an international event at The Skills Show at the Birmingham NEC where finalists compete to be named the best in their field.
Judges for the Landscape Gardening competition include award-winning APL chairman, Mark Gregory, who has worked on more than 120 show gardens and garden designer and four times RHS gold medal winner Adam Frost.
They will be joined by technical lead Jody Lidgard, who has run his own landscaping firm for over 18 years, lectured at various colleges around the country and mentored students through past WorldSkillsUK competitions.
2011 WorldSkillsUK medal winner Simon Abbott completes the judges’ line up. Abbott has also won medals at RHS Malvern and RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
This is the first year the APL is acting as industry partner to WorldSkills UK for the Landscape Gardening section, one of dozens of skills judged and promoted. The organisation took over after BALI decided to drop its assocation, citing concerns about the cost.
WorldSkills aims to inspire young people and adults to be ambitious in their pursuit of skills to the highest level and taking part is often a springborad to a successful career.
Gregory said: “As chairman of The APL, I am excited about the collaboration with WorldSkillsUK and working with the young professionals during the competition starting this year. I feel I have a lot to give and share with this new generation of landscapers and I am looking forward to being part of it.
“It does wonders for your career and is the best hands-on learning you can get in the industry so I encourage all to enter.”
For more information on entering the Landscape Gardening competition, visit https://worldskillsuk.apprenticeships.org.uk/
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