The Young People in Horticulture Association has successfully completed the first three days of its inaugural Management Training Programme, held at Pershore College.
Delegates from across the industry came together for an intensive and inspiring start to the course, which combined team-building exercises, classroom learning, and enlightening sessions with leadership specialist Lindsay Muir of Cedar Associates.
Jeremy Costello of the HTA, who is also a part of the YPHA Committee reflected, “It’s been a fantastic learning curve, both in understanding myself and how I work with others. I’ve come away buzzing with ideas about my approach to leading projects and people, and with a much clearer sense of my own leadership style in context.”
Participants hailed from a diverse mix of businesses including Hillier, Cook’s Garden Centre, The Secret Garden Centre, GrowTropicals, Fron Goch Garden Centre, Hartley’s Nurseries, Kerley & Co, the YPHA Committee, the HTA, Old Railway Line Garden Centre, Klondyke Garden Centres, New Leaf Plants and Happy Plants. Over the three days, they explored core leadership principles, built strong peer networks, and began developing the management skills needed to drive their businesses and the wider sector forward.
Annabelle Hartley of Hartley’s Nurseries said: “The first block of this course has been brilliant and totally transformative for my professional thinking. Coming from a small family business, the course has already added invaluable knowledge and skills to our company which will undoubtedly enable us to push forwards. Meeting like-minded young people at similar career stages has also been a wonderful benefit to the programme.”
The programme is made possible through a collaborative funding model: delegates’ employers, YPHA’s own Launch Success initiative, and the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation have each played a crucial role in supporting this investment in the industry’s future leaders.
The YPHA Management Training Programme will continue in January and March 2026, with further modules designed to deepen skills and knowledge, and to build a supportive leadership community across horticulture
