Plant Healthy E-learning modules launched

In the International Year of Plant Health 2020, the Plant Health Alliance is pleased to launch five Plant Healthy training modules. The modules cover a range of subjects fundamental to the management of plant health and biosecurity in the UK.

Starting with regulations and controls, the modules progress to cover how to conduct a Pest Risk Analysis for a horticultural business or organisation’s site. A site can be a nursery, garden centre, landscapers or arborist’s yard, or a public garden. Also covered are the types of harmful organisms and how they spread. Information is provided on good plant biosecurity practice in relation to the Plant Health Management Standard, which is the voluntary Standard the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme is based upon. Finally, Plant Health responsibility and recognition is covered with a description of how to progress onto the Plant Health Professional Register which is administered by the Royal Society of Biology. At the end of the modules is a short test. Upon successful completion a certificate is provided.

The modules are a free e-learning resource to help businesses and organisations understand what they need to know and actions they can take in order to protect plant and tree health. The modules are being launched as a beta version to gather feedback from users to help hone plant health information to improve plant biosecurity in the UK. Thanks goes to the authors of the modules, Defra for funding their production, the HTA Learning and Development team and CPL- learning for their build and hosting. 

Sir Nicholas Bacon, Chair of the Plant Health Alliance said:

‘On behalf of the Plant Health Alliance I would like to thank everybody who has been involved in the production of these training modules. We encourage feedback from all, as this will lead to a better understanding of the training needs of the sector. We must all work together to improve our understanding of plant health and biosecurity and it is in this spirit that these modules are made available.’

James Barnes, HTA Chairman said:

 “The HTA continues to be at the forefront of promoting plant health in the UK. The launch of these E learning modules is another great step to raising awareness of the importance of this crucial issue.”

The Modules can be accessed here.