Hillier has proudly announced that it has become a Government accredited training provider, helping to further its mission to inspire the future of horticulture. The company has had its application to become a registered training provider for apprenticeships approved by the Government, and as such will be launching a new bespoke Hillier apprenticeship scheme in the near future. Using the Government set standards, Hillier is creating bespoke curriculums that provide apprentices with all the knowledge and skills required to meet their full potential.

With more than 750 employees, and as one of the leading names in horticulture, Hillier is well-positioned to continually progress the future of the industry. As such, and to support the delivery of the new apprenticeship scheme, Hillier has created a new Learning and Development department, creating the role of Head of Learning and Development which has been filled by Emma Fell.

As part of this initiative, Hillier has launched a new Online Learning Hub for employees – a platform that Emma has created and overseen the development of, to offer bespoke training to all employees. It is an internal communication hub with information, training videos, FAQs and Quick Start Guides as a means of offering CPD, training and online courses. As well as continued development, the platform aids the onboarding of new team members, with one of the first courses being an Introduction to the Hillier business, celebrating the history and heritage of Hillier Nurseries, a focus on different areas of the business, and the Hillier mission, vision and values to help them quickly and easily gain insight and understanding into what drives the company forward.

Other initiatives that are part of the new learning and development strategy include a new induction process whereby each Monday, every new employee is invited to the new Learning and Development Hub at Hillier head office at Ampfield House for training and presentations from the senior leadership team.

Director of Retail & Wholesale for Hillier Nurseries, Chris Francis says: “We want to demonstrate from the offset that Hillier is a family business and that the Hillier culture is for everyone to support each other, no matter what their position. With the new induction days, we aim to make everyone feel welcomed, important and valued from day one. It’s something quite special that we have more than 750 employees and yet maintain a family feel.”

“The hub and the new apprenticeship programme are just the beginning, we’ve got big plans for the future too! Our ambition is to open up career paths and development plans to offer bespoke qualifications with value led training courses, that are designed by Hillier, for all employees. We are very excited about receiving the accreditation and are looking forward to signing up our apprentices.”

For further information, visit www.hillier.co.uk, find Hillier Garden Centres on Facebook, or @Hilliergardencentres on Instagram.