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Horticulture

Horticulture (Professional Gardening) Level 1 Full-time

In Brief

Start Date /

This one year study programme starts in September 2024.

Entry requirements

  • Two GCSEs at grade 2 or above including English.
  • Good personal reference demonstrating acceptable level of attendance and commitment to hard work.

You will achieve

Horticulture Diploma Level 1.

Course overview

Plants are incredibly important. Not only do they provide us with oxygen and a source of food, but their beauty, smell and aesthetic vigour can provide the public with a welcoming multi-sensory experience! Public gardens and parks punctuate the fabric of the UK’s drab urban environments and provide an amazing break from the hustle and bustle of modern life!

Gardening and horticulture is not just a relaxing pastime for people looking to escape their busy lives. In fact, if you’ve got a passion for plants and you’re fascinated by flowers, you can actually build a long and rewarding career in this area!

Horticultural careers are all about using your scientific knowledge of plants and soil to cultivate flowers, shrubs, fruits, vegetables, grass and other florae. This kind of plant husbandry is usually carried out in controlled environments for functional or commercial purposes.

Gardening careers usually focus on growing, cultivating, pruning and treating plants for aesthetic purposes. You are most likely going to be working outdoors on large estates that belong to wealthy landowners or gardens that are owned by publicly funded organisations, such as the National Trust.

Alternatively, you might be self-employed and offer services to private clients. Here, your gardening activities will most likely involve aspects of landscape and garden design.

Course content

You will cover various interesting topics in horticulture combining practical work with underpinning knowledge.

  • Preparing ground for sowing and planting
  • Preparing and planting container grown subjects, bulbs and hanging baskets
  • Cultivating land by single digging and forking
  • Caring for a planted area
  • Grass and turf care
  • Tree, weed and shrub identification
  • Assessing soil texture and condition

Assessment throughout the programme will be continuous. It will consist of both observation of work activities at College and in the workplace, as well as written and oral tests of underpinning knowledge.

You will require safety boots and other appropriate outdoor clothing.

Wigfield Farm
Haverlands Lane
Barnsley
S70 5NQ

On completion of this programme, you may wish to progress on to Horticulture Level 2.  Alternatively, you may wish to seek employment in the horticulture industry.

See what careers are available in the Horticulture sector. Use our online careers tool, Career Coach, to find out what your next steps could be.

How much does the course cost?

16 – 18 year olds

Full-time Barnsley College students aged 16-18 years old do not have to pay tuition fees.

19+ Students

Aged 19 or over and thinking about further education?

You may be eligible for free or reduced course fees . Please refer to our page ‘paying for your course.’

Extra information

For further information please contact our friendly Information Team on +44 (0)1226 216 123 or email info@barnsley.ac.uk

Barnsley College has a range of sports opportunities for all students to take part in, gain professional training and compete nationally and internationally. We also have a state-of-the-art fitness village, Honeywell Sports Village where students can make use of our fitness suite, spinning studio and classes for competitive rates. You don’t have to be studying sport to get involved in the Sports Academy.

Our Additional Learning Support team can provide you with the support you need. Please contact them on +44 (0)1226 216 769.

Having good English and Maths qualifications are important for most careers and we want to give you the help you need to succeed.

If you are aged 16 – 19 and don’t already have a grade C/4 or above in GCSE English and Maths they will automatically be included in your study programme. If you want to work towards higher grades in English and Maths we can help you do that too.

Need a higher level Maths qualification? We offer a Level 3 Mathematical Studies (Core Maths).

This can be added to your study programme.

If you need any further information, please contact our friendly Information Team.

Please note we reserve the right to change details without notice. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Horticulture (Professional Gardening) Level 1 Full-time

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