Oatridge College Offers New Qualifications in Horticulture and Landscaping

Oatridge College in West Lothian is to offer two new qualifications in horticulture and landscaping, including a Modern Apprenticeship at Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) Level 2.

The announcements were made during an industry liaison day at the College, which was part of the Business Week organised by Scotland’s Colleges, the organisation which represents the further education sector north of the Border.

Ann Burns, the Curriculum Team Leader for Horticulture and Landscaping at Oatridge, told delegates that the new Level 2 Apprenticeship will mean students spending a total of only 28 days per year at College and away from work during their training. The SVQ Level 3 Apprenticeship requires 30 days at College per year and the course is usually longer, however Burns says: “We are now able to offer a work-based route to Modern Apprenticeships to larger employers. The units delivered should produce a well-rounded SVQ award.”

Plans were also unveiled to introduce a new National Certificate in Horticulture, which will mean students undertaking 12 mandatory SQA units with six additional units in either horticulture or landscaping. Burns asked her audience for feedback on the new courses once they had been able to observe the outcomes.

Oatridge is already the only landbased College in Scotland to offer Certificate in Landscape Construction and Higher National Certificate in Landscape Management studies. Successful HNC students can progress to the Scottish Agricultural College or the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (RBGE) to further their education.

It was also revealed at the industry liaison event that Oatridge will host an Employers’ Day in October to give them practical experience of a range of short landscape construction courses, featuring timber decking, garden paving, brickwork and trowel skills.

www.oatridge.ac.uk/ 

This Article Refers to: BALI, Association, Garden, Landscape, Landscape Training, Landscape Gardens, Landscape Commercial, Landscape Domestic, Landscape United Kingdom, Professional Landscape, Oatridge College

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