Horticulture and Gardening Courses

Get the skills and qualifications you need for a career in the horticulture industry
Is a career in horticulture the right path for you?

Do you like being outdoors, working with your hands and creating spaces that people can enjoy? Every green space needs to be skilfully maintained and careers in horticulture are more wide-ranging than you may think.

As a gardener and landscaper, you might find yourself planning and maintaining large gardens, parks and other green spaces. But you can also specialise in green spaces that are used for sport, think golf greens and sports pitches - these require extensive skilled maintenance to make sure playing conditions are just right.

Ofsted Good and Go Landscape YMCA Horticulture apprenticeships

Our career-focused courses and programmes

Study Programmes

This is the first step for school leavers, aged 16-19. You will work towards a qualification whilst building on employability skills, receive personal and professional development and achieve the level of Maths and English.

 

Level 1 Award/ Certificate/Diploma in Practical Horticulture Skills

Career options:

  • Private  golf courses
  • Hotels
  • Leisure centres
  • Schools
  • Universities
  • Parks and Recreation grounds
  • Stadiums

Course locations:

  • Walkden

Read full qualification details
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This Study Programme will provide you with a good basic understanding of the horticulture industry while giving you practical gardening skills in a realistic setting. You could go into a fulfilling career working in a wide-range of places from sports grounds to garden centres.

This qualification will not lead directly to employment but does provide a starting point for you to decide whether further learning and/or a career in horticulture is right for you.

What you will learn:

  • Turf and lawn care and identifying weeds
  • Plant production
  • Landscaping and care for planted areas
  • Applying fertilisers
  • Preparing the soil and applying an organic mulch
  • Preparing and planting hanging baskets

Pre-apprenticeship

Our Pre-apprenticeship courses are a great way for 16-24 year olds to develop first-hand experience of the workplace. You’ll also get essential work preparation training and work on your maths and English if required.

 

Horticulture and Gardening Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are simply jobs with training. You typically receive training to support your career 1 day a week. You get paid, gain a qualification as well as valuable skills and experience. Anyone between the ages of 16-65 can apply to become an apprentice.

 

Level 2 Horticulture or Landscape Operative

Duration:
24 months

Work in:

  • Public parks and gardens
  • Green spaces and historic gardens
  • Private gardens and estates
  • Production nurseries
  • Retail outlets.

Includes:

  • First Aid certification

Full specification:
Horticulture or Landscape Operative, Apprenticeship Standard

As a horticulture apprentice you’ll learn all about plants in a practical hands-on way.

  • Which plants will thrive in which environment?
  • How is a particular species grown and what planting techniques should you use?
  • How can you develop and maintain the landscape?

You can expect to develop your practical knowledge of: soil cultivation, irrigation, workplace health and safety (the correct use of gardening tools and machinery), first aid training and how to handle and apply pesticides safely.

One pathway specialises in plant propagation, planting and aftercare, the other in landscaping, landscape materials and construction and maintenance. 

This Apprenticeship Standard qualification has been designed by 18 employers, so you can be sure that it meets the needs of the modern horticultural industry. Designed by: City of London, English Heritage, National Trust and Royal Horticultural Society.

Speak to one of our expert advisors to help you with your options
“I want to climb the ladder as high as possible. I want to have something in my name that people know me for. This is the first step that I need to take – it’s the qualification that will enable me to do what I want to do.” – George
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