17 now trained in Landscaping

Seventeen men and women have been encouraged to use their newly acquired landscaping skills to add to the beauty and the development of the country.{{more}}

These men and women graduated from Zone 6 of the Division of Adult and Continuing Education Landscaping class. The graduation ceremony took place on Thursday, September 30, 2010, at the Questelles Learning Resource Centre.

Giving the feature address at the ceremony, Director of the Division of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) Frances Clarke encouraged the graduates to have a vision in respect of the career they can have in Landscaping. Speaking about the science surrounding Landscaping, Clarke stated that they could use their skills to assist with preventing erosion, and to enhance soil preservation and crop preservation.

She advised the graduates to think beyond and think outside the boxes to open themselves to new opportunities, further encouraging them to create employment for themselves.

Also giving remarks at the ceremony, Andrew Lockhart of the National Parks and Beaches Authority encouraged the graduates to use their skills to add to the value of surroundings. “You can enhance the value of those houses and properties. The same goes for business places,” Lockhart said.

Zonal Coordinator Anne Jones added that the class was developed in order to make persons more marketable. She added that the Landscaping programme was taught to assist participants to find a niche in the new hotel industry.

Programme Officer Kenneth King stated that the Division had always wanted to do a landscaping class in order to give persons skills to assist themselves and their families. King stated that one of the problems in starting the class was that there was no one who was willing to teach. “Once you teach someone, people will compete. You will have competition,” King related. He, however, commented that the programme was ‘well packed’ and well received by participants, and he hopes to extend the length of the programme in the following year.

The programme covered eight weeks of training in Gardening and Landscaping. Some of the topics covered included weeding, pest control, using chemicals, tools, cleaning edges and pruning.

A few graduates expressed their gratitude to the facilitators and organizers of the programme, adding that they had learnt a lot to assist them in a career in Landscaping. The graduates also received words of encouragement from fellow agricultural and landscaping practitioners.(OS)