The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) is delighted to announce that it will be launching its new education and skills initiative, GoLandscape, this November at one of the industry’s leading trade shows, FutureScape 2016.

GoLandscape aims to combat the ever increasing skills shortage prevalent within the landscaping industry in the UK by linking students from schools and colleges directly with BALI Registered Contractors, Designers, Affiliates and Training Provider members that have all identified specific vacancies that require specialist skills and relevant qualifications.

GoLandscape will provide real guidance through a series of online and offline resources that directly links students with employers, helping to develop real life careers that provide rewarding opportunities for the individuals involved and benefits the landscape industry as a whole by closing the skills gap.

GoLandscape will aim to provide a wealth of inspiring and educational career advice, mapped to the UK Government’s curriculum for the land based sector and linked to the Trailblazer Apprenticeship Standards of which BALI has played an instrumental part in lobbying at a parliamentary level and establishing as recognised qualifications in land based colleges throughout the country.

GoLandscape brings together a culmination of real life stories and exemplar case studies from leading industry organisations and individuals, all of whom have provided practical examples of what it is really like working in the industry that we are all so proud of and why it offers serious career paths that are full of opportunity.

Students across the UK, from year nine pupils to industry college graduates, lecturers, parents and educators are all invited to attend the FREE launch event at FutureScape on 15th November 2016 at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher, Surrey, where a series of informative talks will take place on what GoLandscape is, what it can do for you and why you should take notice.

Speakers include ITV’s Love your Garden presenter and TV personality Francis Tophill as well as industry peers Jamie Butterworth, Mike Long, Carl Donnelly and Rick Davis. The panel of experts were specifically selected because they had over 100 years of combined industry experience and they are all looking forward to imparting their knowledge with those in attendance on the best routes of entry into the industry, why it is so rewarding and how it turned into a real career.

This will be followed by a Q&A session where the mic will be opened up to the floor for questions from those in the room. The event is being supported by business, media and events company Eljays44, owners of Pro Landscaper Magazine and FutureScape.

The GoLandscape website, which will go live before the launch event in November, will form part of an exciting and educational marketing program that includes digital advertising and social media campaigns, recruitment fairs, career events and workshops throughout 2017 and future plans for an official GoLandscape App for iOS, Android and Windows smartphones in 2018.

Go Landscape will continue to be trialled throughout October, following a period of user testing earlier in the year and will be promoted at key career events, including RHS Wisley’s career fair which took place last Saturday, where students were eager to sign up for more information.

GoLandscape was devised and created by BALI Board Director’s David Dodd and Nigel Bowcock, owners of BALI Registered Contractor The Outdoor Room Ltd and Acre Landscapes Ltd respectively, with the support from BALI’s marketing and communications team at Landscape House.

The initiative will be made available to the wider industry following its launch on 15th November at FutureScape 2016 and will continue to roll-out through schools and colleges up and down the UK.

You can register for a FREE place at the GoLandscape launch by visiting BALI’s website at bali.org.uk/go-landscape and completing the booking form.