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How to Get Work in Horticulture

By ACS Distance Education on January 11, 2017 in Horticulture | comments

 

The good news is that there is a shortage for horticultural expertise and globally, a growing demand for that expertise.  The industry, like all industries is changing fast though; and that is causing shifts in where work is to be found -both in terms of physical location and industry sector.  Traditional avenues for employment are drying up everywhere - I know for a fact that is the way in Australia, UK & USA ....but at the same time new opportunities are emerging.

Over recent years I'm getting more and more people in the industry telling me that they cannot find work; but at the same time I'm getting others in the industry telling me they cannot find people to employ.

My take on it is that there are two problems - firstly a disconnect between the horticulturist and the customer and secondly good horticulturists not thinking outside of the box enough.

In today's society, people connect differently and everything moves so fast. Connections can become a fog though because so much is happening, and we are all seeing everything - joining social media sites is good; but it doesn't help you much unless you learn to master the use of that site use.

  • The amount of people needed to do jobs in particular locations is reducing due to changes including mechanisation, artificial intelligence, economic globalisation
  • The % of government spending going into health, welfare, defence, and some other things is increasing; which is causing a decline in funding for other things sometimes including education, horticulture and agriculture.
  • Demand for horticultural services is increasing, but is driven by different factors to in the past. eg. Some jurisdictions are legislating to require environmental surveys, land rehabilitation works, landscaping of new developments, etc. In Singapore there is legislation requiring green walls and roofs on new developments. Much of the work opportunities are with private enterprises, but the opportunities may often be driven by government policy. Growing affluence has created opportunities to provide horticultural products and services to people who previously could not afford them - but often these people are not even considering spending their money on horticulture. Horticulturists need to compete with other industries for this surplus spending, and create new opportunities for themselves, Sadly, horticulturists are often less aggressive in doing so compared with other industries.

We know a few facts about where the workplace is heading. First, around 70% of jobs are now in self employment (contract work or owning a business); in the UK and presumably in other developed countries. This is an increase from around 40% in the 70's. We know that it is likely people will work less hours and up to half of current jobs will disappear over the coming decades. We know that the people who are (and will be) most secure in employment are those who are creating the future; rather than those who are following behind. We know only around 10% of people fall into that category.

If you want a secure future then; you need to be proactive and turn yourself into a creative, self employed innovator who is a shaper and mover in your industry.

1. On a small scale, if you are highly qualified, you may find some work with one of our affiliates as a horticultural tutor - see http://www.acs.edu.au/affiliatearea/tutor_registration.aspx  (We get a lot of people registering here though, so don't hold your breath).

2. We have an affiliates scheme which helps people establish their own school. We have affiliates operating and selling our courses already, but there's plenty of room for more. Most do not primarily focus on horticulture though; and that leaves lots of opportunity for those with a horticultural interest. Some are selling over $100,000-00 of our courses a month.
See www.acsaffiliates.com  if interested.

comments from John Mason, Principal ACS Distance Education