Apprenticeships at the University of Bayreuth

A university is a place of study and research. However, young people are not only trained here in classical studies, but also in various apprenticeships. In the Ecological Botanical Garden (ÖBG) of the University of Bayreuth, three young women are currently learning the profession of perennial gardener. Two of them are directly employed at the University of Bayreuth, another young woman is being trained here, but belongs to the Bavarian Industry Vocational Training Centre (bfz).

Currently, Guido Arneth, master gardener at the ÖBG, is in charge of the training. He has been doing this since 1997, and the two trainees Barbara Linhardt and Janina Lanz are no. 27 and 28 in that time. "I myself have also trained at ÖBG," Guido Arneth tells us. "So there have been trainees here for much longer."

There are a total of seven apprenticeships in horticulture. The ÖBG offers a three-year dual training programme to become a perennial gardener. One day a week the trainees are at vocational school, the other four days on site. Barbara Linhardt and Janina Lanz will finish their training at ÖBG this summer and know what the special features of training at the university are. "Working here, it's much more diverse than at other locations," she says. In the whole of Upper Franconia, there are only four training companies for perennial gardeners. They know each other and exchange information. "The training here shows many different facets, not only perennials but also useful plants, pot plants and much more. We have everything here," says Linhardt.

There are no "normal" working days as a gardener. It depends on the season and the plants. Basically, there is a lot of maintenance work to do - also at ÖBG. "But an important part of the training is the propagation of plants as well as seed harvesting," Arneth explains. In addition, proper pruning, dividing and rejuvenating plants as well as weeding are part of the trainees' tasks.

They even have an extra bed for trainees for the perennials, which are particularly important for the budding gardeners in their final exams.

The fact that the ÖBG trains regularly is not entirely altruistic. "We trained a good half of our staff ourselves," Arneth explains. "We try to keep our trainees because, as in all industries, it is getting harder and harder to find good staff." Fortunately, we have found top candidates for the next round of training. The number of applicants, however, has fallen sharply.

Barbara Linhardt will take her final exams in July. After that, she will remain employed at the ÖBG. She sees many advantages here: "We have all the plants you can imagine. It's nice to be able to see, for example, how the plant you have in a small pot looks when it grows up. At the ÖBG you can also find them all in full size."