The horticultural industry in Ireland is a dynamic sector, covering food production, nursery stock, turfgrass, landscaping and garden centres. It has a farmgate value in the region of €400m and, with over 11,000 people employed. It is an integral part of the Irish economy. Providing training for the industry are Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture in the Botanic Gardens and Kildalton College Kilkenny, which offer certificate courses, as well as a degree programme.

Yvonne Grace is currently completing her MAgrSc with UCD and Teagasc, as part of the Walsh Fellowship programme. This involves a 15-month placement for teaching practice at Teagasc Botanic Gardens. The Kilkenny native is due to finish her study, entitled Training Needs Analysis of the Horticulture Industry in Leinster, next June.

From her perspective, while the industry is facing challenges, prospects for the 250 plus full-time and part-time horticulture graduates are many and varied.

“There may be a perception at the moment that there are few career opportunities within the sector. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Businesses always need general operatives, but there is a heightened demand for middle management roles, such as assistant managers, supervisors, or marketing and sales staff who are social media savvy,” Grace says.

The training needs analysis is a collaborative research project with industry stakeholders, which will inform Teagasc on the training skills and delivery methods, ie apprenticeships required to maintain a competitive horticultural industry within a global marketplace.

In Ireland we don’t have to look that far to see this. The mushroom industry has taken a massive hit since Brexit. A weak sterling has exacerbated such problems.

This week, Irish Country Living profiles three people working in various areas in horticulture today.

Name: Hazel Woods

Age: 22

Level 7: Botanic Gardens (Teagasc and WIT)

Level 8: UCD Horticulture.

Sector: Nursery

“My father and mother run Kilmurray Nursey in Gorey, so growing up on a nursery I took an interest in horticulture from an early age. All school holidays I would have helped out and worked in the nursery with my family. When you are immersed in something you like, you often pursue a career in it. That was the main reason I decided to study horticulture in college at Botanic Gardens. It is also a very interesting industry and it is an outdoor lifestyle which I love. One thing evident is people’s lack of education when it comes to this part of horticulture. When I say to people my family runs a nursery some think we mind young children. It is such a fascinating industry to be a part of, with plenty variation. It is not just the propagation and raising of plants, but the business side of things too. Selling and marketing is equally as important.

When you start out in this part of the industry, you would be getting minimum wages, however this all depends on your experience, how good you are and your education. There is scope to develop.”

Name: Damien Coleman

Age: 32

Level 8: Turfgrass Science (Myerscough College, Lancashire)

Sector: Sports turf

“Like many others, I wanted an outdoor job. I studied turfgrass science in England for four years and enjoyed it. I fell into my first job because my older brother worked as a superintendent at the golf course in Dromoland Castle. That was in 2008. From there I went to Galway Bay golf resort and now I work as the superintendent here. Every day is different and there is a wide variety of jobs involved in the role. From cutting grass, fertilising, managing soil, to name a few. It is off the beaten track. It certainly isn’t your regular nine to five job.The opportunities in the industry are endless. There are golf courses and football pitches all over the world and you could easily travel with the job. I have been fortunate to work at the Olympics in 2016 in Rio and at the Ryder Cup in the K Club. These are great things to work at. Like with every industry there are challenges. For the future, we would like recognition that greenkeeping is a profession with opportunities to upskill and progress. We have some of the best greenkeepers in the world in this country and we should appreciate that.”

Name: Pat Smith

Age: 40

Third level: Diploma in Horticulture (Warrenstown)

Sector: Vegetables

“I come from a farming background originally and not a horticulture one. I wanted to do something different and I liked the idea of growing vegetables and crops, even though I had no previous experience in it. I liked the idea of being involved with the whole process of producing the vegetables. During college I did placement in 1998 at Paul Brophy Produce in Kildare. I returned after college and I work as general farm manager here now. For anyone entering the industry, the job is busy. The time of the year obviously dictates how busy you are. Hours are not nine to five, but that does offer flexibility. For an intern or graduate starting off, you can have a variety of roles. If you are interested in machinery, you could be on the tractors, you could be in the factory, or you could work in the nursery. There is always a need for food. While we are competing with imports, people are willing to buy Irish, so there is a positive future in the industry. From planting the seed, all the way until the food is packaged. Being in charge of that process appeals to me. CL