72% of horticulture firms struggle to find skilled workers
TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh claims gardeners need to show that their profession is not for "thick, dull or unadventurous" people, following revelations that horticulture firms struggle to recruit skilled workers...
In a Royal Horticultural Society study, Titchmarsh says gardening is "undervalued" by the young.
The study claims 72% of horticulture firms cannot find skilled workers, with teens viewing the job as "unskilled".
"If this situation continues, British horticulture will become a pale shadow of its former self," he said.
Titchmarsh called for more to be done to reconnect young people "with apples rather than Apple Macs, plant cells rather than cell phones and raspberries as well as Blackberries".
Some 200 businesses were surveyed for the report. More than two thirds (67%) said that those entering the profession were inadequately prepared for work.
Almost one in five (19%) said they had to recruit skilled staff from abroad and 83% said they blamed difficulties on recruitment on a poor perception of horticulture in schools and colleges.
A separate survey of 500 secondary school teachers suggested that fewer than a third (30%) were aware of horticultural qualifications with only 20% aware of the "vast career opportunities" available.
Only 16% of the school staff surveyed promoted horticultural careers to their pupils, with many regarding gardening as a hobby rather than a career choice, says the report Horticulture Matters.
Earlier research has suggested that many teenagers believe careers in the sector are for those who have failed academically.
This poor perception of horticulture as a career is despite the fact that the industry contributes £9bn to the UK economy and employs 300,000 people, says the report.
"Our role is undervalued by government, by the population and by young people in particular," writes Titchmarsh.
"In every instance because they just do not understand the breadth of what we do and its importance in terms of the well-being of the planet and its population."
The report calls for urgent action to bridge the green skills gap, welcoming government plans to include gardening in the national curriculum as part of design and technology - but says more could be done.
