Minister Verburg welcomes Landscape Gardening Champions

By Skills Netherlands

Gerda Verburg, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV in Dutch) donated a cheque of €1000 to Frank van Haastert and Job de Visser. Frank and Job have won several awards at skills competitions in landscape gardening.

In September 2009 Frank and Job won silver medals at the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Canada and in September 2008 they won gold medals at EuroSkills in Rotterdam. The two students, who have by now finished their education to become gardeners at Edudelta College, have also been Dutch champions in landscape gardening twice.

The assignment during WorldSkills Competition 2009 was to design a Canadian garden with elements of nature and differences in relief. Frank and Job captured those differences in relief by a wall at the back. In the garden they created a dry river with grit and cobblestones. The Dutch team won silver because they stood out by organisation, planning and measurements.

Besides the cheque of €1000 an assignment has been attached which can be worked on in their current education at the HAS in Den Bosch.

Just like the ministry of OCW, the ministry of LNV provides a financial input for the skills competitions through Skills Netherlands. Minister Verburg values such competitions as important because they contribute to the orientation of VET students, the cooperation between corporate business and education, and international exchange of knowledge and experience in trades.

For more information about Team Netherlands visit www.skillsnetherlands.nl.