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Amenity Horticulture
If you dream of working in the great outdoors instead of being stuck inside all day, then a Horticulture Apprenticeship could be for you! Amenity Horticulture is the shaping of the landscape. The Apprenticeship will allow you to develop your practical skills, get a qualification, and kick-start your career in horticulture.
You’ll need to be up to the challenge as the work is physically demanding. You’ll also need to be creative, have a genuine interest in horticulture and be able to work on your own initiative.
During your Apprenticeship, you could be working as a Gardener, Landscape Gardener, Greenkeeper or Green Spaces Assistant. You could work in one of a number of settings including parks and gardens, plant nurseries, sports grounds, golf courses or for a commercial landscape company. The Apprenticeship will help develop your career as once you’re qualified, you could go on to a more responsible or supervisory role.
During your Horticulture Apprenticeship,
You will learn about:
- Preparing sites and soil for planting
- Maintaining plants, lawns and sports turf
- Planting and maintenance of landscape features
- Operating and maintaining a range of equipment and machines in a safe manner
- Monitoring environmental conditions
- Identifying and treating pests and diseases
You will achieve:
- An NVQ Level 2 in Amenity Horticulture
- Key Skills Level 1 in Communication, Application of Number, Working with Others and Improving own Learning
- Certificates of competence in two additional areas relevant to you such as emergency first aid or safe use of pesticides
- Employment Rights and Responsibilities
YMCA Training will:
- Give you a full induction so you are prepared to start your Apprenticeship
- If you are not already in employment, we will help you to find a job in which you can work towards the Apprenticeship
- Visit you regularly to assess your progress and observe you in the workplace
- Provide the appropriate off the job training
- Support and guide you throughout your course
Entry requirements:
YMCA Training will help you build on your existing qualifications. You will need to have a reasonable level of literacy and numeracy skills and YMCA Training can provide support for you to develop these further. You will also need to be:
- Committed to a career in the landscaping industry
- Physically fit, as the work is demanding
- Able to take responsibility for your own learning and development
- Keen to develop the broad range of skills, knowledge and understanding required to complete the Apprenticeship
- Aware of health and safety as horticulture is a high risk category occupation
The working environment:
When you join the Amenity Horticulture Apprenticeship, it is important you are aware that you will be working in a high risk environment, for example, you’ll be using hand tools, machinery and will be working with pesticides.
Course length:
The course is flexible so that you can take the time you need to achieve the different elements. Most people take between 12-14 months to complete the Apprenticeship.
Availability:
A Horticulture Apprenticeship is only available in a limited number of centres, so please contact your local centre to see if they offer it. If not, we will register your interest and keep your details on file, as with enough demand your centre may be able to offer the course in the future.
An Apprentice’s view:
“The YMCA Training Horticultural Course is well run. The staff work hard to help you out. The placements provided are good - mine is at Manchester United Training Ground at Carrington. The staff also organise good trips all around the UK, which are both educational and fun.”
Jacob, Amenity Horticulture Apprentice
