Further and continuing education for greenkeepers

When you are fully trained greenkeeper several paths open if you want to learn more or move in a new direction. You can become even more skilled in the trade or you can use it as a stepping stone to further education. Here is an overview.

Much of the further training in the field takes place as short, targeted courses. This could be renewal of the spray certificate, courses in new machinery and technology, plant protection, irrigation or specialized knowledge of specific course types. Many of the courses are offered within the labour market training system and are an effective way to keep your skills up to date while working.

• 01Follow-up and renewal of spraying certificate.
• 02Courses in new machines, robots and GPS technology.
• 03Plant protection, fertilisation and irrigation.
• 04Leadership and planning, if you aim for a managerial role.

If you want to go further at higher level, a journeyman certificate can be a springboard to higher education in the green sector. Here are some of the paths others with a background in the field have taken — access requirements vary so check the individual education.

You don't need to leave the course to develop. Many greenkeepers build a strong career by becoming experts in their field — for example in setting up new courses, in sustainable care with less chemistry, or as head greenkeeper with responsibility for the entire facility. Experience combined with ongoing courses is often the most direct path to more responsibility and better pay.

The craft changes with new technology, new environmental demands, and new ways to maintain courses. That's why the best groundskeepers are those who keep learning. Whether you choose short courses or a whole higher education, the journeyman's certificate is a solid foundation to build further on.

“Your journeyman certificate is not the end of your learning — it's the foundation you build the rest of your career on.”