CGC Oakgrove 4.0

Hor ticulture

Sector Outlook The sector is worth £5 billion and employs a range of people from scientists to entrepreneurs and florists. The UK productive horticulture industry is responsible for the cultivation of vegetable, salad crops (£1.3 billion in sales) and fruit crops (£670 million in 2016). The ornamental market of plants, bulbs and cut flowers was worth £1.2 billion in the same year. Although we produce a wide selection of crops we are still dependent on imports from Spain (33% veg) Netherlands and South Africa. The industry covers the strawberries we have whilst watching tennis, the landscape of our parks, gardens and the preparation of our sports pitches. You could find yourself working in any of the UK’s 2300 garden centre and nurseries, managing a city park, maintaining a country estate or landscaping around a new construction build. Horticulture 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 report from the RHS that showed 70% of horticulture 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 Horticulture, and the initiative “Grow” endeavour to inform people about horticulture careers and the range of fantastic opportunities to be had in the sector. Geography, Biology and Art can be useful subjects to study in school, or Biological Sciences if you are considering working in the science of new plant technologies. Apprenticeship opportunities 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, Sports Turf, Horticulture, Botany or other degrees may be relevant to particular 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.