EDUCATION EDUCATION
Australia’s sports turf management graduates are among the best equipped in the world and that is as a result of effective communication and understanding between student, employee and education provider in relation to their training
A critical
partnership National Turf Education Working Group co-chair Albert Sherry writes about the importance of having a proactive partnership between turf management education provider, student and employer when it comes to training.
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ention the words ‘turf education’ in any maintenance facility lunchroom across the country and it will almost certainly lead to deep and meaningful conversations across all levels of the profession, from turf managers right through to apprentices. Most importantly, everyone has an opinion and that opinion is critically important. It is clear that turf management training in Australia has changed and continues to change. Most would be aware that TAFE in Australia has been transforming in recent years and many will (and do) argue this is either a positive or negative. We need to understand that the bulk of training doesn’t occur at training colleges such as TAFE, but on worksites across the country. This should make sense considering that in a typical 38 hour week an apprentice would attend TAFE for eight hours only. This is reflective in the quality of training of our graduates. I have been privileged over the past couple of years to sit on the judging panels of both the AGCSA and STA Graduate of the Year Awards and am extremely pleased to report the future of the sports turf industry is in a very good place. What sets the state finalists apart from the rest is that they are being constantly trained at work. Guys like Joel Manson (Anglesea Golf Club, 2017 AGCSA winner) and Joseph Bolton (Wodonga & District Turf Club, 2017 STA winner) are a testament that training in Australia is working. The challenge we face is to make sure everyone has the same opportunities. One thing that is clear is that sports turf graduates in Australia have
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.2
an amazing array of opportunities to progress their careers both here and overseas. However, we do need to find ways to maintain employee engagement in a world where we are being told the typical ‘millennial’ will have up to 30 jobs in their careers. To do this we need to invest wisely from recruitment and critically through training and development.
WORKING IN TANDEM Successful organisations meet workforce training needs by working with their employees as a ‘partner’ in training. Everyone in the organisation has a role to play, but essentially the partnership consists of three main players – the student, the employer and the trainer. In the case of apprentices, there is an important often silent partner – the apprenticeship body in each State and Territory – which monitors that the training is being conducted within the training regulation framework. The roles and needs of each within the partnership must centre on ensuring all parties commit to open communication throughout the training. Failure to communicate the wants or needs of one of the party will lead to failure in training. It goes without saying that the commitment to train an employee is costly in terms of finance and training hours. Clearly defined key performance indicators (KPIs) must be installed and monitored from the first day of training. KPIs must be achievable and based on meeting training needs. KPIs can be easily monitored. The formal training plan contract sets out units of competency being delivered across the training period. Importantly, in the case of an apprenticeship, there is also a need for employers to sign off in support of the determination of competence by the training organisation. It is really important therefore that employers know the level of skill and knowledge their student has and that they have completed the