Heats having been
taking place around the country throughout May and June for the landscapers of
the future to compete for their place in the Association of Professional
Landscapers (APL) WorldSkills Landscape Gardening competition semi-finals.
Taking part were
competitors from College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE),
Dundee and Angus College, The Gardenmakers, Myerscough College, Reaseheath
College, Warwickshire College and Wiltshire College.
The 10 competitors that have qualified through to the APL WorldSkills
final national heat which will take place at Myerscough College at the end of
July are:
- Matthew
Aitken, Dundee and
Angus College
- Douglas
Beck, Wiltshire
College
- Sam
Gordon, The
Gardenmakers
- Brian
Hughes, Greenmount
(CAFRE)
- Reece
Mckay, Greenmount
(CAFRE)
- Matthew
Woods, Myerscough
College
- Connor
Pegler, Warwickshire
College (Pershore)
- Alex
Rae, Reaseheath
College
- William
Rhodes, Warwickshire
College (Pershore)
- Jon
Walsh, Dundee and
Angus College
The competitors
selected from over 30 shortlisted entrants had three tasks to complete at
the heats. These were completed over the course of a day in timed sessions and
were marked on the quality of their work, attention to detail and work practice
including health and safety. Tasks included building a decked timber frame
within two hours, followed by a block paving exercise to specification,
finishing off with a plant identification test. All marked against some very
exact scoring sheets and where appropriate millimetre tolerances.
The competitors will
go to Myerscough College for the national final heat. This year the three days
will see our competitors take part in industry led training sessions alongside
building test pieces, including tests on paving, disc cutting, setting out and
a plant ident. The test pieces will directly assess the competitors on what
they have been taught, which will focus on the latest developments and
innovations in the industry.
This year’s national
final will once again be held at WorldSkills UK Live (formerly The Skills Show)
at the NEC Birmingham from the 15-17 November.
The APL would like
to thank sponsors Ecodek, Makita, Marshals, J A Jones and Landscapeplus for
their support of the APL WorldSkills Landscaping competition.
