Grow with the GMA

New online training hits the mark!

Grounds Management Association has successfully launched a new series of online Level 1 training courses to help build a cohort of skilled grounds staff and volunteers to make sport possible across the nation

THE GROUNDS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

has responded to these uncertain times by launching a range of Level 1 online training courses to ensure that professional and volunteer grounds staff, as well as other stakeholders including club chairpersons, are suitably informed and educated to make the right decisions at the right time with available resources when sport resumes.

GMA’s well-established and respected oneday, face-to-face training courses have been revamped to improve access. This will enable a low-cost introductory education route for those involved in the maintenance of football, cricket and rugby union and rugby league pitches. Enrolment is easy – learners have 28 days from enrolment to complete a course, which will typically take just four to five hours. The learning materials can be downloaded and printed, and participants will subsequently be signposted to practical videos to use.

Stretch yourself

In addition, GMA is also currently developing its existing Level 2 and 3 training courses for winter pitches and cricket for online delivery.

The above new online courses complement the existing online GMA Level 2 to 6 qualifications. It’s all about ‘stretch and learn’ – GMA wants to not only help you prove that you have the knowledge but also stretch your learning while you are achieving that. Indeed, over recent months, this approach has proved very popular with a significant increase in enrolments and it enables you/your employers to keep all members of the team engaged during these uncertain times.

Dan Prest GMA head of technical and learning

Visit www.thegma.org.uk/learning for details of the courses and enrolment, along with news of GMA’s new part-time online tutor who is also looking at ways to encourage people to join GMA Learning.

I FEEL I’VE COME A LONG WAY IN MY THINKING AND UNDERSTANDING, AND IT’S BEEN GREAT TO CHALLENGE MYSELF OUTSIDE OF WORK VIA HOME LEARNING TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL OF IMPROVING MY EDUCATION TO A HIGHER LEVEL WHILE GAINING A DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF TURF MANAGEMENT

– Michael Williams, Whitgift School

Commenting on his recent Level 5 Professional Diploma in Turf Surface Management – the first person to complete this online accreditation – Michael Williams, senior groundsperson-irrigation specialist at Whitgift School, said: “I found these courses (Levels 4 and 5) to be outstanding and a great credit to GMA. It’s been an eye-opening journey this past two years and, combined with a Level 3 Diploma, completes four years of turf management studying. I’m obviously delighted to gain these brilliant professional qualifications with great support from Whitgift School.” ■