A new apprenticeship course in vegetable production is being launched by Plumpton College, West Sussex, with a first intake of between 12 and 30 students in October.
It will be based on the Level 3 crop technician apprenticeship and taught over two years in monthly blocks from October to April, with three days of college-based study each month.
Plumpton’s horticulture apprenticeship programme manager, Nir Halfon, said the course will cover all aspects of vegetable crop production from cultivation and propagation to post-harvest handling, including PA1 and PA6 spraying certification.
“Although the technical skills training will be relevant to apprentices from all types of vegetable production business, there will be a focus on providing students with the knowledge they need to set up their own medium-scale direct-sales market garden business,” he said.
“I’ve spoken with many large-scale growers who are looking to train technicians but there is also an increasing number of people who want to have a go at starting their own enterprises but often without the technical knowledge.”
Mr Halfon said the main aim of the course would be to deliver theoretical training, with practical skills being developed by the apprentices ‘on the job’. The college is able to offer accommodation so that apprentices from all over the country can join the course.
For more information, contact Mr Halfon at nir.halfon@plumpton.ac.uk.