David and Rhys carry the College flag in top awards
01 February 2012
David and Rhys carry the College flag in top awards
Oatridge will be represented by 29 year-old horticulture and landscaping student David Smith and Rhys Murdoch, a 20 year old agricultural apprentice, in the final of the Lantra Scotland Landbased and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards.
They go forward to a glittering awards ceremony in Crieff in March, after being interviewed by an expert panel of judges. They will be vying with each other and finalists from around Scotland for the overall title, which has been won by Oatridge nominees six times in the previous seven years.
Here are their stories:
Rhys Murdoch has from an early age, taken a determined grip on his own future and the development of his career: He did not like school, so arranged to leave at 15 to start work on a farm, where handling equipment fuelled a lifelong passion for machines. He quit when was he was 18 to enrol on a National Certificate course in Landbased Engineering at Oatridge College and a regular work placement at Ramsay and Jackson in Mauchline, Ayrshire, led to a full-time job.
Now 20, Rhys has completed SVQ Level 2 and 3 with "Distinction" and was named "Best Student" in his year group. Employer Billy Ramsay says: "Originally he impressed us because he always kept himself busy, even sweeping the floor if there was nothing else to do. He's got a great attitude. He's colour-blind, which could have been a real problem when working on engines, but he is meticulous and has come up with his own system of labelling the wiring. He's very conscientious and works well on his own and we always know we're going to get a good job."
Oatridge tutor Alan Mowitt, says: "His employers are very supportive and Rhys has thrived on the experience and challenges of the workplace. He also had the chance of getting involved in fabrication and is very proud of work he did on building a footbridge. In College he's always been enthusiastic about the course work and willing to get stuck in during practical sessions in the workshop."
Rhys says: "College has been great because I have been learning things that interest me. Maybe school could be better for people like me if they got the same chance."
David Smith travelled the long way round to get from his family's farm in Mid Wales to Central Scotland and the fulfilment of a dream to set up his own successful horticulture and landscaping business.
Trained and qualified in agriculture, he left Montgomeryshire for Australia to gain experience in the industry, but gradually moved "sideways" to work in vineyards and an orange farm, before heading for New Zealand to begin training with a tree surgeon. When his visa ran out, forcing a return to the UK, he had already decided that his future lay in horticulture and with his partner, who he met on the Indonesian island of Bali. She was heading home to Stirling and David followed.
For over two years he worked at a garden centre, building his knowledge and love of plants and becoming assistant plant manager. By the time he left to pursue formal education in horticulture, briefly at Forth Valley College and then Oatridge College, he had started to grow his own gardening business, combining Higher National Certificate studies with working long hours, seven days a week.
David, now 29, excelled and passed HNC Horticulture with distinction and has returned to Oatridge, studying for a Higher National Certificate in Landscape Management. He aims to expand into garden design, build and maintenance and take on an apprentice.
Ann Burns, Oatridge's Horticulture Team Leader, says: "David is a great role model for younger students, always willing to share his knowledge and helpful and encouraging to less able students."
And David says: "Horticulture offers great career opportunities to anyone willing to work hard. I love my job because I'm constantly learning and I can immediately see the results of my efforts. It means long hours and a lot of study but my business is thriving and the future is looking good."
