Glendale rolls out its Academy

Glendale has extended its successful Academy project in the South West to include North Somerset, Torbay and their new contract with Spectrum Housing.

The Academy was first launched in 2013 and has now seen 16 members of staff complete a tailored training programme in arboriculture, with a 100 percent success rate both in pass rates and retention of staff.

The project has now been extended to include the Torbay and Spectrum grounds maintenance contracts where apprentices and trainees are currently being recruited to undertake a structured training programme including NVQ 2 in Horticulture. At Torbay, the trainees will work both with Glendale and the client to give them full access to all areas of amenity horticulture.

At North Somerset, the Academy is being launched through a partnership with The Groundwork Trust and Team North Somerset. A unique programme of training has been developed by Glendale and The Groundwork Trust that will see four apprentices join the company and undertake an 18-24 month training programme that will offer a level 2 diploma in Horticulture and a level 2 diploma in Streetscene Public Service. The course is bespoke and covers all elements of the multi-service contract held by Glendale at North Somerset. To support lifelong learning and staff development eight existing members of the team at North Somerset will also be selected to complete the academy.

David Buckley, general manager at North Somerset commented “We are delighted to have got this partnership off the ground. The team at North Somerset work extremely hard to provide multi-services across the district. Unfortunately, there was a limited investment in the team under the old contract arrangements whereas the new contract  with Glendale that started in 2013 has allowed for a continued investment in the workforce building confidence amongst the team and improving quality and productivity.”

Terry Doyle, regional director for the South West commented “The academy scheme launched by Glendale in 2013 has been a tremendous success. The rollout across the region has allowed for Glendale to invest in every level of the workforce with new candidates starting a career with Glendale and existing staff being invested in. 2015 will see an additional 24 members of staff commence the academy and develop a career in arboriculture, horticulture and Streetscene Public Service”.