National Trust recruiting next generation of gardeners through Pershore College

Published by

Kirsty Muir

A renowned horticulture college has joined forces with the National Trust to develop the next generation of gardeners for its properties.

Pershore College, part of WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group), is the new gardening apprenticeship provider for the charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England.

It is recruiting for nine new apprentices to work in the gardens of properties managed by the National Trust across the UK and Ireland.

Apprenticeships are available at properties including Acorn Bank in Penrith, Baddesley Clinton in Warwick & Packwood (one role across both sites) in Solihull, Calke Abbey in Derby, Cliveden in Maidenhead, Lyme Park in Stockport, Mottisfont in Romsey, Wentworth Castle in South Yorkshire, Rowallane Garden in County Down and Dyffryn in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Apprentices will be joining the garden teams at the properties and play a key role in keeping the historic gardens in fantastic condition for the public to enjoy.

Since reintroducing its apprenticeship scheme in 2017 the National Trust has grown from having eight apprentices to more than 100 across the organisation.

These two-year apprenticeships will include six block weeks of studying at Pershore College, which is one of the few regional hubs of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Subjects studied will include business, plant identification, vegetation control and many more.

Caroline Noon, National Trust Apprenticeship Manager, added: We are excited to be launching these roles across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and looking to build and expand on our already successful apprenticeship development programme.

“These apprenticeships create a key entry route into this exciting area of our conservation work and I look forward to seeing the apprentices grow and develop in confidence throughout the duration of their apprenticeships.”

Matt Handy, Industrial Training Manager for Horticulture at Pershore College, added: “It’s exciting to be teaming up with a renowned organisation like the National Trust to support the development of the gardeners of the future.

“Many of the country’s top gardeners started their careers maintaining the gardens of a National Trust property and the apprenticeships provide a valuable opportunity to help preserve the future of some of the UK and Ireland’s most prized spaces.

“We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with the National Trust.”