The GCA’s GROW e-Learning platform has introduced five new courses covering food safety and health & safety.
This launch is the first of three planned releases throughout 2023. It will see a total of 16 courses covering various food safety and health and safety topics.
The GCA’s Instructional Designer for GROW, Antony Snow, says:
“It’s exciting to be working on this with Opus Safety – one of the UK’s leading providers of safety training.
“The safety of our members’ employees and their customers is essential. These courses, tailored for the garden centre industry, will provide comprehensive safety training. This will allow employees to enhance skills, improve safety practices, and help create a safe working environment.”
The new courses are as follows:
Food Safety
Food Hygiene Essentials
Allergen Awareness
Health & Safety
Legionella Awareness
COSHH Awareness
Working at Height
The GCA’s GROW modules cover a range of valuable topics. These help employees gain knowledge and confidence in products and services. This then provides customers with the best service and advice.
Peter Burks, GCA Chief Executive, explains:
“We are always working on developing GROW and adding to our offering to cover topics our members need.
“GROW is there to help improve an individual’s knowledge so they can assist others in the workplace, whether colleagues or customers.
“Members have told us how effective it is in giving their staff confidence. They also say it provides essential education and training for them too.
“It’s available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, so personnel can use it when it suits them. It’s a cost-effective way of delivering training and personal development. This enhances the customer experience when visiting a garden centre, and benefits everyone.”
GROW came into existence during a strategy meeting of the GCA’s executive committee. It’s aim is bring education and training tailored to workiers in the garden centre industry.
It is a self-funding and non-profit making facility. Any surpluses get reinvested into the ongoing development and improvement of the scheme.
Currently there are 110 modules and more than 12,000 users throughout the UK.
The modules include a range of topics. These cover horticulture, customer service, food safety, regulated sales and health and safety.
The accredited food safety and health and safety topics are categorised as either level one or two.
All the modules have been written by experts in their field. They are designed to apply to a garden centre environment.
The content for the horticultural modules draws on the experience of GCA members.
Peter adds: “Garden centres interested in signing up to GROW can find out more at www.gca.org.uk/gca-grow-information. Or, email grow@gca.org.uk.”
The new courses are available immediately to existing subscribers. The GROW e-Learning facility is available to GCA members, as well as HTA garden centre members too.
