Working Life
- Establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will ensure adequate performance and personnel safety.
- Inspect completed work to ensure conformance to specifications, standards, and contract requirements.
- Direct activities of workers who perform duties such as landscaping, cultivating lawns, or pruning trees and shrubs.
- Schedule work for crews, depending on work priorities, crew or equipment availability, or weather conditions.
- Plant or maintain vegetation through activities such as mulching, fertilising, watering, mowing, or pruning.
- Monitor project activities to ensure that instructions are followed, deadlines are met, and schedules are maintained.
- Train workers in tasks such as transplanting or pruning trees or shrubs, finishing cement, using equipment, or caring for turf.
- Provide workers with assistance in performing duties as necessary to meet deadlines.
- Inventory supplies of tools, equipment, or materials to ensure that sufficient supplies are available and items are in usable condition.
- Confer with other supervisors to coordinate work activities with those of other departments or units.
Qualities -
As with gardeners, the work is often physical, so physical fitness will be required, but the nature of the work will help you develop the required stamina.
You will also need to be a critical thinker, comfortable with researching the fundamental aspects of plant life and applying that knowledge to the problems you face in your work.
Some project management and planning skills will be necessary, as will communication skills, so you can pass on your knowledge and contribute productively to large teams of colleagues.
Do You?
- Meet the Minimum entry requirements.
- Want a Career in Horticulture.
- Want to learn and earn at the same time.
- Have a good level of physical fitness and enjoy physical activity and work.
- Have a safety focused and enjoy working outdoors.
- Have an interest in plants, horticulture and science.
- Have good literacy, verbal and numeracy skills.
- Have the ability to plan and prepare work.
- Hold good analytical and problem solving skills.
- Have good computer skills.
- Have good hand/eye co-ordination, manual dexterity and spatial aptitude.
- Have good interpersonal skills.
- Have the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Take responsibility for my own learning with the continual support of Teagasc, appointed Workplace Mentor and your employer.
Interests - Horticulture
This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Naturalist
Not surprisingly, some aspect of the natural sciences will run through the Naturalist's interests - from ecological awareness to nutrition and health. People with an interest in horticulture, land usage and farming (including fish) are Naturalists.
Some Naturalists focus on animals rather than plants, and may enjoy working with, training, caring for, or simply herding them. Other Naturalists will prefer working with the end result of nature's produce - the food produced from plants and animals. Naturalists like solving problems with solutions that show some sensitivity to the environmental impact of what they do. They like to see practical results and prefer action to talking and discussing.
Creative
Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.
Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.
Administrative
Administrative people are interested in work that offers security and a sense of being part of a larger process. They may be at their most productive under supervisors who give clear guidelines and while performing routine tasks in a methodical and reliable way.
They tend to enjoy clerical and most forms of office work, where they perform essential administrative duties. They often form the backbone of large and small organisations alike. They may enjoy being in charge of office filing systems, and using computers and other office equipment to keep things running smoothly. They usually like routine work hours and prefer comfortable indoor workplaces.
Entry / Progression - Horticulture
There are many pathways to develop towards a career in Horticulture. Building skills, learning, and experience develops further opportunities to grow your career.
Sample Education and Training Pathways
A number of courses are available throughout the country that focus on learning and skills that may be useful for this career. The examples and links below may guide you in your research.
Further Education (FET)
Further Education & Training (FET) Courses are delivered by local ETBs, ranging in duration from several weeks up to 20 months. Courses are designed to meet the labour market needs and often include a large element of work experience.
Example search terms include: horticulture.
Search for FET Courses
PLC Courses (FET)
PLC courses are full-time courses, one or two years duration, with awards at Level 5 and 6 on the NFQ. They are offered nationally in Schools and Colleges of Further Education.
Example search terms include: horticulture.
Search for PLC Courses
Apprenticeships:
Apprenticeships are structured work-based training programs that combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction. They run from 2 – 4 years and are open to individuals of all ages, including school leavers, those seeking a career change, and existing employees who wish to upskill.
Examples: Applied Horticultural Apprenticeship.
Search for Apprenticeships
Higher Education CAO (Undergraduate)
Higher Education courses at Levels 6 to 8 on the NFQ, delivered in Universities and Technological Universities & Institutes. Courses run from 2 – 5 years and places are allocated on a points-based system, processed by the Central Application Office.
Example search terms include: horticulture.
Search for CAO Courses
Pay & Salary - Horticulture
Labour Market Updates - Horticulture
Note: The following information relates to occupations that include: Horticultural trades; Gardeners and landscape gardeners; Groundsmen; greenkeepers; Skilled workers in horse racing and related industries; Agricultural; and fishing trades n.e.c.
This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).
Although the employment growth over the five-year period was negative for this occupation, employment levels have remained static since 2020. At 37%, the share aged 55 years or older was almost double the national average of 19%.
A relatively high share of persons employed in this occupation were employed part-time. The administrative and support services sector accounted for the largest share of employment for this occupation at almost two-fifths.
