Brompton Academy

Hor ticulture

Sector Outlook The UK productive horticulture industry is responsible for the cultivation of fruit, vegetable and salad crops. In 2013 the industry produced over 2 million tonnes of crops at around £1.2 billion in value. But the industry is not just responsible for the strawberries we have whilst watching tennis, they also manage the landscape of our parks, gardens and spor ts pitches too. You could find yourself working in a retail garden centre, managing a city park, working in a nursery on ornamental plants, maintaining a country estate or landscaping around a new construction build. Hor ticulture is a very broad industry and estimates are that it contributes around £9 billion to the UK economy. The industry provides regular employment for over 50,000 people. Approximately 85% of the sector is managed within small and medium sized enterprises, and business owners from all sectors of the industry have noted a substantial lack of young talent; with dire warnings of an impending skills gap as knowledgeable workers retire. This is backed up by a repor t from the RHS that showed 70% of hor ticulture businesses can’t get the trained staff they need. This could be owed to the long hours, in all weathers and the physically demanding nature of the work. The current interest in the hor ticultural sector could be owed to the rise of contemporary TV programmes and initiatives which make growing fruit & vegetables at home more accessible. RHS, The Institute of Hor ticulture, and the initiative “Grow” endeavour to inform people about hor ticulture careers and the range of fantastic oppor tunities to be had in the sector. Geography, Biology and Ar t can be useful subjects to study in school, or Biological Sciences if you are considering working in the science of new plant technologies. Apprenticeship oppor tunities may exist if you want to work and train on the job or you could consider going on to do a degree. A variety of relevant degree courses are available such as Landscape Design, Spor ts Turf, Hor ticulture, Botany or other degrees may be relevant to par ticular roles such as Ecology, Biochemistry and Biology. There is a variety of skills desired in the industry, but above all, a passion and a desire to learn and work hard is most appreciated.