Gabe Stoneman
My role is a horticultural technician working for University of Warwick, Stratford on Avon Innovation campus with the Horticultural Services Team. I help researchers undertake field and glasshouse, and polytunnel vegetable trials
Q) What is the most challenging part of your role?
Doing monotonous jobs are hard for me like seed cleaning and jobs that are fiddly and bud pollinating. I find fiddly jobs difficult to maintain concentration for lengthy periods.
Q) What is your biggest work achievement so far?
I think my biggest achievement is switching from a school environment to a working environment. I thrive on practical applications.
Q) How did you discover your apprenticeship and what was the application process?
After my first year of sixth form I was looking for other options as I didn’t like doing sixth form and the apprenticeship came up on a website as an option.
Q) Who is your inspiration?
The people who I work with as they are all knowledgeable and I am learning a lot from them. I am picking up their extensive skills with on job training. I am trying to learn and improve all the time to eventually be as good as them at tasks.
Q) Where do you see yourself in the future?
I would like to develop in my role here at University of Warwick and developing CPD within a practical horticultural environment.
Q) What advice do you have for someone looking to complete an apprenticeship?
Do it! It is better than school. The experience gives you a lot of different ways to learn skills, gain confidence, and get involved with interesting things that you may not learn doing something else. You also get a lot of real-world experience of working which is good.
Line Manager Perspective
Sally Mann, from the School of Life Sciences and based at Warwick Innovation Campus in Wellesbourne manages the Crop Technician apprentices. Sally shares their thoughts of the impact of the Apprentices on their team:
This is the second cohort of Crop Technicians who were recruited to assist in the provision of high-quality field and protected crops research trials. They support all aspects of crop production, pest and disease control, harvesting and assisting researcher teams working on a wide range of crops.
Being able to recruit an apprentice has made a very positive impact on the team. The experienced staff are able to pass on years of learning, things that can never be read in a text- book or demonstrated in a single lesson.
Together with the apprenticeship course which selects important areas to build upon they can then expand skills (plant and weeds, pest and disease control, business development, H&S in a horticultural environment, useful visits to other suppliers to the hort. industry) which are all critical to a successful operation.
The apprentice has gained so much confidence in the first year. The ability to converse and communicate at all levels and listen and follow up with questions has been an immense learning curve and enhances performance and integration with the team.
The apprentice is already a truly integrated member of the team taking on responsibilities and suggesting improvements in the daily workload. The ability to take on an apprentice has assisted succession planning. This greatly reduces the risk of losing crucial skills and knowledge and hopefully improves business continuity.