A successful specialist plants centre in Shrewsbury, which prides itself on providing good, old fashioned customer service and expert advice, is supporting staff development and looking to take on its first apprentice.
Love Plants, based at caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure’ headquarters at Emstrey, employs eight full and part-time staff. Two of them, plant assistants Simon Bebbington and Wendy Hayward, are taking Royal Horticultural Society qualifications.
Both are seeking a qualification covering plant growth, propagation and development, whilst Simon is also seeking to add garden planning, establishment and maintenance. The correspondence courses, supported by an online tutor, will end in exams next year
“They are taking these qualifications because they wish to enhance their knowledge to help customers,” said Love Plants’ manager Tim Robinson. “The RHS courses are excellent and set the benchmark standard.
“The advice we give to customers here is so vast, covering garden design, identifying and treating pests and disease and propagating plants, to name just a few areas. By investing in staff training it will give them more specialist knowledge to advise our customers.
“I have been in this industry for 27 years and I’m still learning. With new varieties of plants being bred every year, it’s a fascinating and enjoyable subject.”
Love Plants is also seeking applications from candidates, aged between 16 and 24 years, wishing to become the company’s first apprentice plant assistant. On the job training will be supplemented by one day a week at Reaseheath College, Nantwich.
“We are looking for someone with a genuine interest in horticulture who loves being outdoors with plants and is keen to learn,” said Mr Robinson.
Love Plants has been developed by Salop Leisure in association with the renowned Dingle Nurseries and Derwen Garden Centre, Guilsfield, near Welshpool, which supply all the top quality plants on offer.
