GAN Australia was proud to announce this year’s International Apprentice Exchange Program scholarship recipient at the Apprentice Training Awards.

Luke Green is a 2nd year Sports Turf Management apprentice with NextGen Jobs and host employer Ringwood Golf, Maroondah City Council.

Luke lives for the outdoors, and loves football, golfing, and racing.

By undertaking an apprenticeship in sports turf management, he is able to spend every day doing something he loves. Not everyone gets to say that! 

Luke initially didn’t know what career path he wanted, commencing a business management degree that he found uninspiring and the wrong option for him. Fortunately, Luke came across an ad for an apprenticeship opportunity with NextGen Jobs. The idea of working outdoors had strong appeal and the TAFE model of learning felt more relevant than continuing to sit in a classroom. 

Working at Ringwood Golf, Maroondah City Council, Luke is able to work across 2 golf courses and 38 sports fields. 

Luke says that the best part of his apprenticeship is working outdoors and working with an amazing team, and would recommend for anyone considering an apprenticeship to just go for it! 

Luke rates his level of workplace satisfaction as a 10 out of 10! 

He is planning to travel to Switzerland during the European summer to learn about their world-leading sports turf management systems. Switzerland is home to a large number of football (soccer) fields, golf courses, and racing tracks, which Luke will be visiting to develop his turf management skills.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity, I’m going to learn so much over there and be able to bring it back to my work when I get back.” – Luke during his acceptance speech

As well as being a location for brilliant sports turf, Switzerland is considered a leader within the global apprenticeships community. During his travel, Luke will be able to visit training facilities and talk with apprentices, trainers, and employers. He will be bringing back some reflections on the differences between the Australian and Swiss systems.

We congratulate Luke for receiving this scholarship, and look forward to hearing about his exchange to Switzerland!