Traineeship in Botanical Horticulture - course details

Course objectives

The Kew Traineeship aims to teach the highest standards of professional practice to all trainees by offering structured training. It provides participants with the opportunity to gain practical experience and knowledge of the responsibilities involved in this type of work, based on the horticultural operations in one of three horticultural sections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Course content

Placement structure:
Trainees will be placed in one horticultural section. On the job training will be arranged and delivered by garden managers and trainers with focus on practical skills using real tasks. Placements are in one section divided into two 6 monthly blocks to give a range of skills:

Sward management in the Arboretum

Arboretum and Horticultural Services

1) Arboretum and Nursery

2) Arboretum - Woody collections

Watering in the Plant Conservatories

Great Glasshouses and Training

1) Nurseries
2) Conservatories

Learn tractor driving skills in the Hardy Display section

Hardy Display

1) Amenity
2) Collections

Course teaching

Training and Assessment
Trainees have a training plan that outlines everything needed to achieve their certificate. On-the-job training will be integrated with training day sessions as needed, where theoretical tuition and practical demonstration will be delivered by Kew specialists. Trainees have access to our libraries, computer and information systems.

Practical Placements
The work placements are intended to make two major contributions to the scheme as a whole: the acquisition of craft, technical and employment skills, and the opportunity to work with a very wide range of plants, developing horticultural amenity and landscape features, and environments.

Training Logs
Trainees receive a unique training log, specific to the section they are working in, which records the training undertaken. Team leaders or trainers are responsible for the basic on-the-job training which is reviewed every three months.

Work Journals
Trainees are required to produce a practical work journal to record personal learning on a daily basis. These work journals are evidence of development and learning and will be presented to the Studentship Review board, prior to graduation.

Plant Profiles and Monthly Identification Tests
Trainees are required to learn a total of 120 plants per year. These will be presented as 10 plants a month by an ident co-ordinator. Trainees will complete plant profiles for these plants and be assessed with a plant identification test. These tests will incorporate previous months' plants leading to an overall test at the end of the traineeship.

Course assessment

In order to pass the Traineeship, you must:

• successfully pass the practical placement to the required standard
• undertake all standard training requirements
• produce a weekly work journal for each placement over the year
• complete all plant profiles, 120 per year
• attend the monthly identification tests
• attend and pass the End of Scheme review

Successful participants will be awarded a Traineeship Certificate and a Transcript of Practical Training. This is a bespoke programme managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

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