BIGGA and Jacobsen are delighted to announce that whether socially‑distanced or in person, the Future Turf Managers Initiative will take place in 2021.
Each year Jacobsen invites 20 BIGGA members to its headquarters in Ipswich for three days of intense learning designed to test the skills of BIGGA members and prepare them for a senior management position.
If you think you’re ready to take the next step in your career, then nothing in the industry prepares you better than FTMI.
The event will be held from 20 to 22 April 2021. The hope is to host FTMI in its regular format, but BIGGA’s Learning & Development team and the guys at Jacobsen are collaborating to make sure that even if this isn’t possible, the event will still be able to take place via distance learning.
Applications for FTMI open on Monday 19 October 2020 but you can register your interest now by emailing Deb Burnett at deb@bigga.co.uk
We’ll then be revealing the identity of the 20 successful members who will form the FTMI Class of 2021 in the February issue of Greenkeeper International.
In 2020 Gemma St John joined Zoe Lee‑Amies in becoming the first two female BIGGA members to take part in FTMI. Speaking afterwards, Gemma said: “I applied to try and gain the confidence to deal with the older generation, who sometimes have outdated views. In this day and age, we’re all equal, but 40 years ago that wasn’t necessarily the case. Members still ask if I’m OK picking up heavy things or using equipment like chainsaws.
“After FTMI, I’m hopeful that my conversations with them will be more positive and I won’t have that nervous, shaky voice, where I feel a bit intimidated. Using the strategies we’ve learnt here, I’ll be able to process the questions they ask me and answer them in a more confident way.”
An example FTMI programme will see seminars, talks and workshops backed up with support from experienced ‘mentors’ who have themselves spent years in a course management role. Example topics will cover:
Presentation skills
Communications
Presenting a professional image
Interview techniques
Successful CV’s
Stress awareness
Building a budget
Becoming a leader
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