Skills to grow: 7 priorities to improve green space skills

An update from the National Cabe Space Strategyby Nick Jones

Green Space South West

Training skills workshop

09 December 2008

The green space skills gap evidence

base

‘The skills base in green

space management has

wasted away resulting in low

skilled and poorly motivated

staff, and difficulties in

recruiting. This has been

accompanied by a loss of

confidence, vision and focus

from professions’

2002 : Urban green spaces taskforce

Components of sustainable

communities:

‘Well-maintained, local, user-

friendly public and green spaces

with facilities for everyone

including children and older

people’

‘Protecting and improving

natural resources and

biodiversity’

2004 : The Egan review – skills for sustainable communities

‘Our parks and green spaces are facing a crisis just as their value to society is being rediscovered’

‘career prospects rated as poor, very poor or non-existent by 54%

‘the workforce is an ageing one, with 68% over 40 and 92% over 30’

‘no ethnic diversity and the proportion of women working in the sector is only around 10%’

2004 : Parks need people need parks

‘Progress in enhancing

urban green space continues

to be held back by skills

shortages’

‘support for training…which

equipped green space

managers with the skills to think

and plan strategically and

engage successfully with

communities, local politicians

and officers’’

2006 : NAO report, Enhancing urban green space

75% had Investors in People standard

Average annual training budgets are

less than 1% of staff budgets

80% said revenue budgets won’t

increase next year

37% said lack of skills in fundraising

affects service delivery

68% said lack of skills in horticulture

affects service delivery

40% said lack of capacity to deliver

was the reason for not offering

horticultural apprenticeships

2008: Local authority green space skills survey

Overview of the strategy

Challenges, priorities and actions

The strategy

Skills to grow. Seven priorities to improve urban green space skills.

A national framework for improving urban green space skills

Funded and supported by Department for Communities and Local Government

Developed with key national green space skills delivery partners

Consultation on draft until November 12th 2008

Completion by March 09

5 strategic challenges and opportunities

1. Problems with recruitment and retention

2. Lack of workforce diversity and inclusion

3. Broader skills base needed

4. Better management and leadership skills

5. Lack of joined up working

7 strategic priorities

1. Increase awareness of sector

2. Improve entry and career structures

3. Improve quality of training 4. Improve management and

leadership skills5. Increase overall investment

in skills6. Build capacity for joined up

working7. Build a better evidence base

Who’s responded

Overview of general response

Response to specific questions

Consultation feedback to date

13

Who’s responded?

52% public sector (local)

24% private sector

11% public sector (national)

8% voluntary/community

5% public sector (regional)

Who’s responded?

27% landscape/park managers

16% landscape architects

14% planners

9% arboriculturalists

6% horticulturalists

6% urban designers

4% education

4% architects

4% environmental conservation

Overview of responses

50% agree we have included

all the key challenges and

opportunities

89% agree the outcomes

we’ve identified are the right

ones

81% agree we included all the

right priorities and actions

Which skills are most important and which are most lacking?

Horticulture and plant knowledge

Landscape design and creativity

Managing ecological systems

Community and stakeholder engagement

Marketing and communications

Business skills and financial management

‘ I have been involved with local government and the private sector

for around 30 years and I cannot think of another area of work that

has such a widespread portfolio. Nor do I know of many jobs that

require such widespread knowledge.’

What is the fundamental problem and what are the underlying causes?

Low pay, lack of investment and poor perception of sector is

fundamental problem

Underlying cause is that green space is undervalued

More specifically the demise of apprenticeship schemes

since CCT, restricted budgets and weak leadership in local

authorities

‘salaries within the green space sector need to recognise not only

the technical abilities but also the complexity of the social,

economic, political and legal framework within which green space

management takes place’

Have we included all the key challenges and opportunities facing the sector?

Challenges:

lack of support for long term management of green

space

the time for staff to attend off site training courses

colleges not teaching the right skills

shortage of planners impacts on green skills

Opportunities:

the Olympic Park as a showcase of green skills

high public interest in wildlife

the economic case for green infrastructure

Have we included all the right priorities and actions?

improve public perception of green space industry

work closely with education providers to ensure

skills match needs

work with volunteer groups such as BTCV

develop training in community engagement for

local authorities

include training for non-green space decision

makers and fund holders

What actions do you think will have highest impact?

raising the profile of green space

providing good information on what careers can offer and

how to access them

better support and investment for green spaces in local

authorities

more apprenticeship schemes

‘it will take a consistent approach for a generation…the drivers being

money, opportunity and reward. More demanding jobs will fuel better

training and more education opportunities for broader, higher level

skills which would raise status of those working in the sector’

What else do we need to do to better understand the issues?

carry out in depth surveys of skill base in local

authorities to identify specifics of gaps

comparative studies with other service sectors

identify what attracts people to the sector

work with colleges to develop short courses to

address gaps

research alternative management structures to

identify a suitable model which can ensure overall

investment is increased

And now….

Feedback from the South West Regional

Survey