Scholarships offered to apprentices

Scholarships are offered to school leavers who are interested in a career in one of the many sectors of horticulture.

The scholarships have been offered to the schools which participated in the successful “ICELine – Cool Careers in Horticulture” promotion attended by 70 students from Northland secondary schools, held earlier this year at Satara Packhouse, Glenbervie, near Whangarei. Students from horticulture, science, commerce and geography classes were invited to the event and seven Northland schools responded.

A scholarship covers the first year course fees of $650 while apprentices are being paid to learn during full-time work for their horticultural employers. Learning is both on and off the job, with training days with local providers for theory and specialised skills.

Duane Wells, chair of the Northland Horticulture Forum, expects the ICELine event to stimulate more interest in horticulture as a worthwhile career.

“It’s not just about picking and packing and we are not a dumping ground for young people,” he said.

“Skills needed in the horticulture sector include orchard management, nursery production, packhouse and post-harvest management, advisory services, arboriculturalists, landscapers and technicians and scientists.”

Northland NZ Horticulture Industry Training Organisation (NZHITO) training advisor, Sherryl Neale, said the selection process for the scholarships would be the same as any employment selection process.

“School leavers from the schools that participated in the ICELine event who are interested in a career in horticulture are invited to apply for a scholarship. They will then be interviewed and successful applicants matched up with an employer in their sector of interest,” Ms Neale said.

“The final decision will be made by the prospective employer.”

As a young horticulturalist who studied management, marketing and communications at Waikato University before returning to the family persimmon and lemon orchard, Mr Wells believes having young people move away for tertiary education is fine, provided their talent has been identified and they are “coached” through university courses and working holidays to ensure they return to Northland in their chosen fields.

“The key influencers are parents and teachers, so we want to publicise the positive aspects of horticulture to increase awareness and give parents confidence,” he said.

“To work outside in horticultural management a young person requires considerable passion and aptitude and there are also dozens of interesting related roles in the sector”, Mr Wells said.

Applications for the 10 NZHITO scholarships are open now and for the rest of the year.