DEAREST gentle reader, with Bridgerton back on TV this week, do you have what it takes to create a garden fit for a Regency romance?
National Trust venues including Berkshire’s Basildon Park have provided the lush backdrops to some of the hit Netflix series’ most famous scenes.
Now the charity is seeking 19 horticulture apprentices to tend to its rolling acres and preserve them for the nation.
The roles, which are open to anyone aged over 16, will see trainees gain a level 2 horticulture qualification.
Positions are available at some of England’s most important historic sites, including Stowe Gardens, Bucks, and Clumber Park, Notts, with jobs on offer in Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland and Llanerchaeron in Wales too.
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Caroline Noon, apprenticeship manager at the National Trust, said: “Our level 2 horticulture apprenticeships offer a fantastic opportunity to learn the knowledge and skills required to become a horticulturist here at the National Trust.
“You will help look after our 224 historic gardens, playing a vital role in delivering our conservation and climate change strategies, helping to undertake the regular tasks and horticultural maintenance, conservation, and care of the gardens to safeguard them for the future.
“If you are passionate about gardening and love the idea of working outside, this role could be perfect for you.”
The National Trust already has 33 gardening apprentices, and new trainees can work their way up to assistant gardener or gardener roles.
For those who wish to progress further, the National Trust also offers a level 3 horticulture supervisor apprenticeship.
Apply from May 20 to June 2 at tinyurl.com /3jdkvaeh.
Grow your career
FORMER science teacher Julia Plummer is now a National Trust apprentice gardener working at Kedleston Hall near Derby.
The 38-year-old from Castle Donington, Leics, said: “Much as I loved my teaching roles, there was always something missing, so I took the move. There are so many reasons to recommend this job to others, such as getting to be out in nature and doing a practical job where no two days are the same.
“It is fantastic for your physical and mental health and there is always something new to learn.
“The most challenging thing at first was stamina. Having been in a largely sedentary job and this being more physical, it was definitely a change of pace.
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“The important qualities you need are a desire to learn and a keen interest in gardening and nature.
“You don’t need any prior experience but it helps to have maths and English at GCSE grade C/4. There there is an option of completing a functional skills level 2 qualification in these subjects.
“I have met many people in horticulture since starting my apprenticeship and not one of them had any regrets about working in this industry – but many wish they had gone into it much earlier.”
Cut the smart remarks
ALMOST 30 per cent of staff say they have been victims of workplace bullying, according to a recent poll by the Trades Union Congress.
With this in mind, HR expert Roxanne Massey, from Honest HR, believes we need to take more care over how we talk.
She says: “While sarcasm or little remarks may feel good, they won’t help change the situation or others’ behaviours.
“You never know what others are going through that caused the initial problem, so try to be courteous and find solutions to make work a better place for everyone.”
Here, she shares her advice on how common passive-aggressive phrases can be said more positively...
1. Change “That’s not fair” to “I need to let you know how I feel. It feels like things are not fair at the moment.”
2. Instead of “Must be nice to have time to enjoy yourself,” try “Tell me your secret; how do you manage to do everything you need to do and have time for that too?”
3. Swap “I guess I’ll just have to figure it out myself” for “I don’t know the best way to approach this. Please can you guide me?”
4. When you’re overworked, don’t use “I don’t have time for this.”
Try “Looking at the things I have to do, I can see that this is a priority to you. What item on my task list shall I take off to get this done?”
5. Instead of “That is not my job/above my pay grade,” try “I’m not comfortable doing this; it’s not something in my area of knowledge.”
Mind the burnout
POOR employee mental health costs firms £51billion a year, a new report has found.
The study from Deloitte discovered that 63 percent of respondents experienced at least one characteristic of burnout.
“Presenteeism”, where people work when ill and cannot perform at their full ability, is the biggest factor, costing employers around £24billion a year.
Meanwhile, almost half of working parents are concerned about their children’s mental health, costing UK employers £8billion, due to its effect on performance, taking time off work or leaving roles.
Yet for every £1 spent on the well-being of the workforce, employers get an average £4.70 back in increased productivity.
Slow AI take-up
BRITISH workers are lagging behind the rest of the world in adopting AI, according to the 2024 Work Trend Index from Microsoft and LinkedIn.
It found that 75 percent of high-level staff – known as “knowledge workers” – use AI globally compared to 69 per cent in the UK.
While four in five UK business leaders believe their company needs to adopt AI to stay competitive, half are worried their organisation lacks a plan to implement it.
The study also found that 57 per cent of UK bosses say they no longer hire someone for a role who does not have AI skills.
Two-thirds would prefer a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them.
Be future-proof
THINK all the careers of the future are hi-tech? Not so.
Amazon Future Engineer and global research firm Gallup have collaborated to rank careers both on their earning potential and the likelihood that they will survive in the future.
The firms assessed key attributes including pay, job growth, the number of job vacancies, and capacity to withstand automation.
Each job was then awarded a Careers of the Future score, known as the CFI score.
Surprisingly, the top UK future job is a marketing, sales and advertising director, based on its high pay, personal interaction and need for original creativity.
CEOs and senior staff also appear to be safe, alongside plots and electrical engineers.
The study also analysed the top ten non-degree jobs of the future, with production engineers, health and safety managers then construction bosses topping the league.
John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager at Amazon, said: “Good careers guidance is essential for advancing social mobility, it can raise aspirations and breakdown barriers to opportunity.
"With 4 in 10 teens uncertain what job they see themselves doing at 30, we hope the interactive Careers of the Future Index will be a useful tool to help students, parents, and career advisors explore the diverse range of promising job paths available in the UK.”
See the full list of jobs at https://tinyurl.com/4erhse9c