• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • 1
    CommentGo Back
Download
 
1
 
Skills to grow
 
Seven priorities to improveurban green space skills
Skills to grow 
seeks views on the mainskills challenges acing the green spacesector and ways in which these can betackled. The eedback will allow thepartners in developing a skills strategyor the sector to reine and improve onthis ramework. It will also inorm thedevelopment o a detailed action plan,prioritising actions and identiying whoshould deliver them.We are seeking responses to thedocument by 12 November 2008
Consultation drat
 
 
2It’s no wonder people love parks.High quality parks and green spacesare crucial to our well-being. Theyinvite physical activity and theyprovide a positive and welcomingenvironment or both physical andmental health. As well as the obviousbenet to the physical charactero a place, parks are places wherepeople meet, where they haveun, where they eel they belong.They can also boost the economicpotential o tourism, leisure andcultural activities in the area andincrease local property values.When combined with their role asessential green inrastructure aswe adapt to a changing climate, thenetworks o parks and green spacesthat enhance our towns and citiesare a undamental component osustainable urban regeneration.Through the eorts o the greenspace sector, we have seen that itis possible to renew many parks bygenerating new sources o undingand involving the community.Satisaction with the local park is onthe increase. In 2000 just 44 per cento urban local authorities believedthe quality o their local parks to bestable or improving. By 2005 thishad risen to 84 per cent. However,there is more to be done, especiallyin deprived areas, where qualityo green space and satisactionlevels tend to be lower and wherethe impact o a park can make amajor dierence to quality o lie.But quality parks need a highlymotivated and skilled workorce– now and in the uture. They notonly need skilled horticulturalistsand other green space specialists,but also skilled managers andleaders. We know that there areconcerns about whether we havethe workorce and the skills to takeus into the uture – and this couldprevent the continued improvement
BaronessAndrews
Introduction
 
in the quality o our parks. This is whywe asked CABE Space to considerthis important issue together withthe wider green space sector.
Skills to grow 
is a signicantdocument. It brings together, orthe rst time, the eorts o nationalgreen space partners and otherinterested organisations in tacklingthis issue. The major challenges andopportunities are highlighted, asare the many dierent initiatives andprogrammes that are going on in thegreen space sector. Opportunitiesor urther action are put orward.What is clear is that this is a complexissue with potentially ar reachingconsequences or the uture ogreen spaces. As such,
Skills togrow 
represents a signicant rststep in a more ambitious process.Moving orward we will be workingwith CABE Space, and with greenspace experts, workorce expertsand skills experts to ensure thatthe strategy succeeds in solvingthe problems that are identied.This consultation is important.We would like your views on thechallenges, and what we needto do to better understand them.We want to know more aboutthe current workorce prole,and the extent and nature o therecruitment and skills problem.We would also like your views onthe solutions. We know o manylocal authorities and other greenspace sector employers that aredoing a great job o managingtheir green spaces and solvingthese issues in their localities.CABE Space mentions some otheir good work in the consultationdocument. We would like to hearmore about other such examples.We need to learn rom success,understand the actors behind
 
3it, and spread best practice. Inaddition, actions are proposed inthe document to take orward thisagenda. We would welcome yourinput on which you think are the mostvaluable and o highest priority.At national level, there are manyinitiatives under way in governmentto address the skills needs othis country – and to tackleworklessness. This broader contextprovides opportunities to developgreen space skills too. In CLG, weare putting in place new approachesto help local authorities improve andwe need to explore the opportunitiesoered by the national improvementand eciency strategy and the newregional improvement and eciencypartnership (RIEP) structures.Your knowledge and experiencein response to this consultation isthereore a vital part o this processI am extremely grateul to the manynational organisations that havebeen involved in the developmento the strategy so ar, showing theircommitment to transorming thegreen space skills across England. Iam particularly grateul to the CABESpace team that has led the work.
Baroness Andrews
Parliamentary undersecretary o stateCommunities andLocal Government
We will crack thisproblem if everyoneworks together. With amore highly skilled andmotivated workforce, wewill be able to continueto drive up the standardsof our parks and green spaces and sustain theimprovement into thefuture – and ensure thatour heritage of parksand all the possibilitiesthey offer will continue togrow and improve.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...