So how did David go about getting the experience he needed? “As dancing is short term there is a careers development charity for dancers, and I was able to benefit from that. Kew is my first full-time work experience in the industry, but I started off doing jobs for friends and family. From there I started a business in garden design, maintenance and contracting. I had a start-up grant from the charity, which led to a number of projects to work on. I knew that I wanted to be as good at my new job as possible, so I applied for training at Kew. I also applied for the diploma scheme at Wisley, but as I was new to the profession I was offered the rotational scheme, which is fantastic. I also did the Royal Horticultural Society’s General Certificate to gain experience, which proved to be very useful.
"On-the-job training is very valuable. You can watch and learn from other people very effectively"
“There were skills that I needed to acquire – you need to have an in-depth knowledge of plants, which I did not have when I came to the job. I think that being at Kew has really helped, as we move around and learn different skills. I needed to be trained on machinery, such as rotovators and tractors. I also needed training in specialist skills such as pruning, where things must be done properly. It’s important to see the ‘bigger picture’ – you cannot plan a garden for a single season, you always need to think ahead and think of the skills that you may need throughout the year.”
“On-the-job training is very valuable. You can watch and learn from other people very effectively. If you have a good network of people helping you then it will make your life a lot easier. Here at Kew, you can ask anyone for help and they will provide it. I can honestly say that this is what has made the career change easier – I will try anything, knowing there is always someone to ask for help. I am also continuing with the RHS advanced certificate to gain a better knowledge of the plants.”
