Horticulture Week Podcast: How TASK Academy will help overcome the skills shortage and why landscapers still don’t get enough recognition - with Rupert Keys
Landscapers don’t always get the recognition they deserve, and have more of a hand in garden designs than many realise, says Keys Founder of TASK and Design & Construction owner and builder of many award-winning show gardens, Rupert Keys:
"When you see it on TV they always mention the designer and they never mention the contractor and I think that really needs to change"
"Landscapers are all designers as well. When they are on the ground you might have to change something and the designer's not always around...if we have to change elements of it, while we're on site, a lot of designers have an eye for that as well."
Concerned about the skills shortage in landscaping, Rupert Keys launched his TASK Academy in a bid to address this and at RHS Malvern Spring Festival, was able to open the public eyes to the unseen work that goes on under the surface of garden projects. But ultimately, he says the Government needs to act.
Keys also reflects on some of the current challenges of costing projects as inflation spirals, as well as ongoing projects which include a scheme in the Cotswolds which his company Keyscape Landscape Design and Construction has been working on for more than 10 years.
Listen to the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3dYwUBm or via via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts or your preferred podcast platform.
Presenter: HortWeek senior reporter Rachael Forsyth
Producer: HortWeek digital content manager Christina Taylor
