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Animals, Land and Environment
Arboriculture and Horticulture
‘He who plants a garden, plants happiness.’ (Chinese Proverb)
Work in arboriculture and horticulture sometimes means working to keep parks and other public open spaces, including roadsides and roundabouts, looking attractive all the year round. It can also mean working all year to produce fruit, vegetables and plants for sale to members of the public.
In arboriculture you would plant and maintain trees, do tree surgery and treat tree diseases.
In commercial horticulture you might grow fruit, vegetables and plants for sale. In amenity horticulture you would work with plants, shrubs, lawns and trees to landscape parks and gardens, or maintain sports turf in good condition.
All of these areas of work need people who are good at communicating with the public, are practical and hardworking, prepared to work outdoors in all weathers, and safety conscious when working with machinery. You should have an interest in plants. You should also be able to work alone or as part of a team.
You might be able to get a job in this career area with few or no qualifications. You might be able to get in through a Modern Apprenticeship.
There are full time courses in arboriculture or horticulture at National Certificate (NC) or National Qualification (NQ), Higher National Certificate (HNC), Higher National Diploma (HND) or degree level, which you could take before applying for a job. If you start without qualifications, you could take the NC or NQ, HNC or HND part time while you are working.
Recent television programmes have led to an increasing interest in plants and gardens. There are good opportunities for gardeners and landscape designers.
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