“Let your boss know you’re keen”

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Irrigation expert John Kidson offers his advice to greenkeepers who want to work in irrigation but so far have no experience with it.

During this season’s articles I’ve been covering how to become an irrigation tech within the sports turf industry. So far, these articles have been aimed for people already within the role and growing knowledge, or those wishing to apply for the role.

I was recently asked to do a short talk at a college about the use of water and irrigation methods. A room full of mixed ages and levels of passion for their college course. One of the attendees was a greenkeeper who mentioned they’ve been reading my articles over their lunch breaks.

I asked for his feedback in front of the class, and I received good and bad: Good points being they solved a faulty cable issue by remaking a joint which had been left out of a grease pod by others for a few years and corrosion had taken place.

Bad point: He mentioned all my articles are aimed at people already within the role and expanding their own knowledge while they work, and are therefore not really covering ‘How to become an irrigation tech’ from the start.

This is a great point; everyone I know who works in the industry just simply always has had an irrigation role – either as a greenkeeper or working for a contractor.

The best advice I would give is: let everyone know you’re keen. This is the start to any career move or progression, in my eyes.

The likelihood is you will have to learn yourself, online and on the job while getting muddy!

I started off as a trainee greenkeeper at 16: bunkers and strimming. The course I worked on didn’t have an irrigation tech as a role and they outsourced all the work. I always knew I liked working with irrigation and I told my boss I was keen.

Over the next few summers, I changed heads, pre-digged leaks out for others and hovered around the irrigation contractors who visited. After a few years, the irrigation was left to me – the head greenkeeper was requesting water volumes and schedules.

For those that have met Charlie, who works for me, he is 21 and an outstanding person to have onboard. He is our youngest and the reason I mention him over the others. Our industry is the same as any other – it suffers from a lack of the younger generation taking on the roles.

Sadly, if you’re young it will be harder, people will presume you will fail at a task due to your age, rather than failing components.

If you’re keen to develop your skills within irrigation, then make your intentions known and remember digging holes is a large percent of the workload: wet mud, dirty hands but being able to fix an issue is the goal we all want!

Following on from the content I’ve written above, I plan to interview irrigation techs at their workplaces; this will help cast a better view of ‘how’ to become an irrigation tech. Please feel free to catch up with my past articles either via the GreenKeeping website or past magazine issues.

Find @JKIrrigation on Twitter