Liz Ensor & Ami Cowley – Shenley Park

Apprenticeship training might be more often associated with big companies but an apprentice can gain much broader experience in a small organisation. This is the case at Shenley Park in Hertfordshire where two horticulture apprentices have become invaluable members of the team.

Ami Cowley & Liz Ensor

“It’s good to be paid while you train. I like to be learning new things, to be outside and I love making the park look nice. When I left school I didn’t know what I wanted to do and now I get paid for what I love. And the apprenticeship qualification can take you anywhere.”

 

Liz Ensor is Head Gardener at the 45-acre rural park created after the closure of a mental hospital on the site, which dates back to the Domesday Book. She says apprentices gain a unique understanding working in a small team of five such as hers.

“This is such an unusual place it would be good in future to have managers who have worked from the bottom up,” she says.

The potential is in the next generation, represented by 21-year-olds Michael Handscombe and Ami Cowley. Michael completed his apprenticeship last April and Ami is about to finish hers.

“Michael is turning into a really valuable member of staff and has management potential,” says Liz.

“Ami, too, has done really well. She has exceeded expectations and her confidence has grown. She is now working in our Walled Garden and around the main park as well.”

Ami was working with horses when she took a seasonal job alongside Liz making Shenley apple juice.

“We offered her full time on condition she took training as well, which was a bit of a concern for her at first because she had left school at 16,” Liz explains.

“We needed somebody with good plant knowledge and Capel Manor’s apprenticeship made sense. Ami’s portfolio for college was very good and now she will do more training, such as competence with a chainsaw.”

Liz says the benefits of having apprentices should not be underestimated: “They have enthusiasm and energy which makes such a difference, especially in a small team that can be stretched every day. In turn we pay them well - it’s a nice job!”

Find out more about Apprenticeships

Find out what it takes to be a landscaper