Anthony Wright - Assistant Gardener

Name: Anthony Wright
Job Title: Assistant Gardener (YHN
Garden Care Service, Walker Riverside)
Dates of Employment at YHN:
January 2007 - present
What Tony says about working for YHN:
'I joined YHN on the Horticultural Apprentice Scheme in January
2007 whilst studying for my NVQ Level 2 in Amenity Horticulture at
Newcastle’s John Marley Centre. Throughout the year as a trainee at
the Garden Care Scheme I learnt a range of new skills including
using power tools such as Hedgecutter, Lawnmower, Strimmer,
Chipper/Shredder, Rotavator and Cultivator. All the machinery I
used was the best you can buy in the industry so I knew I was in
good hands!'
'As part of my apprenticeship I received one to one training on
machines, daily training from my supervisor on garden maintenance
techniques and built up a good plant knowledge at the same time. I
was also put through my First Aid training, PA1 and PA6 Pesticide
courses.'
'When my apprenticeship was coming to and end, the Garden Care
scheme had expanded enough in the past year to take on two extra
garden staff. It was an internal vacancy so all the trainees were
able to apply. I and my colleague Dan were lucky enough to be
picked for the job. We joined two other new starters from outside
the company to form a new team to take on the new work areas the
Garden Scheme had expanded into. Now that I’m moving up I hope in
the future I can study for the qualifications to become a
supervisor myself and pass on my skills and knowledge to
others.’
My key responsibilities include:
- Excellent communication with customers regarding the progress
of their maintenance plan and discussing work to take place on each
visit and visits in the future.
- Carrying out garden maintenance tasks on a monthly basis to
over 1500 tenancies in the Newcastle area.
- Ensuring all my tools and machinery are well maintained
throughout the week, as I use a lot of fuel powered machinery,
ensuring they are clean and in good order is a
necessity.
Read 'a day in the life' profile
here.