Edibles Production

Concordia launches management courses

by Rachel Sixsmith
Horticulture Week
05 February 2010

Be the first to comment Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme operator and educational charity Concordia has launched a management and supervisory training programme to prepare young horticultural staff for their first management or supervisory position.

Concordia has built on its successful partnership with Plumpton College, near Lewes in East Sussex, to offer the programme to horticultural enterprises in the UK. Suitable trainees are likely to be employed by growers who believe there is scope for them to take on a new role such as team leader, supervisor or administrator.

On completion of the course, students will receive the Chartered Management Institute award in leadership and management.

This month's course is already full, but two more are planned for the spring. Concordia said it hoped to line up others later in the year.

Concordia chief executive Rob Orme said: "The course clearly meets an industry need. It has become increasingly difficult for employers to recruit fully-trained personnel into management and supervisory roles, yet many growers already employ staff who are perfectly able to progress their careers with appropriate training.

"Concordia and Plumpton have a good grasp of industry training needs and this programme has the flexibility and rigour to meet them."

Plumpton College course tutor Marie-Ann Roberts added: "The college has much experience gained from running the highly successful Concordia Agricultural Bursary Scheme, which also prepared trainees for their first management positions. We have developed a good understanding of how to meet the needs of employers as well as students."

Caroline Ayers, packhouse manager for Watts Farms in Orpington, Kent, said: "We like the way the courses are designed with employers as well as students in mind. Students have to complete some elements of the course while they are in the workplace."

Yordanka Hristova, one of Ayers's employees, started the course in November. She said: "Attendance at college is for four blocks of time totalling 15 days, but the actual study time is much more than this.

"We complete work in our own time and keep in touch with the course tutor through email. We also have access to the Plumpton College Virtual Learning Centre and the e-discussion forum."

Students are continuously employed for the 12-month course.

For further information, contact Ann Tyrrell on 07808 888525 or email anntyrrell@aol.com. Information on the course is also available at www.concordiafarms.org.