An Introduction to Green Careers

By Charlotte Harris, Associate Director of Personnel

In 2019, The Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group – a body of industry leaders – identified a gap in green skills and knowledge, with more people retiring from the industry than entering it. For an industry that packs a huge punch on the economy, employers and educational institutions must do their bit to increase interest in these careers.

At Nicholsons, we are passionate about broadening awareness of career opportunities in horticulture and the wider environmental industry. With a range of career pathways available to suit various interests, skills and experience, roles within these fields can be fulfilling, diverse and impactful.

In 2019, 674,248 people were supported by careers in the horticultural industry.

In the same year, The Horticultural Trades Association reported that environmental horticulture was worth £28.8 billion to UK GDP and is estimated to grow to £41.8 billion in 2030. Further detail on how subsectors within the industry support UK GDP can be found below:

This year, Nicholsons representatives have attended multiple careers fairs and talks in schools, colleges and universities. Our most recent involvement was in July when a team from Nicholsons attended Warriner’s Year 9 Career Week. The week-long event hosted many local companies showcasing their industries and potential career paths.

The beauty of Nicholsons being such a broad environmental company meant that we could share a range of career pathways in consultancy and contracting.

Members of our arboriculture team talked to students about tree surgery and demonstrated the use of our impressive MEWP for extremely tall or dangerous trees alongside more conventional climbing methods.

The students also had an introduction to tree planting with the forestry team and planted some of their own trees, with several students eager to compete with the Nicholsons daily target of 200 trees planted in a day.

Several horticultural experts also set up a planting scenario where students could set out their own border design. Head of Design, Freddie, and Assistant Ecological Consultant, Charlotte, discussed the fundamentals of nature-led design and how to meet a client brief.

This week, we congratulated our recent graduates who completed the Nicholsons graduate scheme. This involved a visit to our community project in the Maasai Mara this year which empowers women through jobs in horticulture. This was followed by project presentations, demonstrating an area of the business our graduates are passionate about. Topics included a bid to enhance sanitary provisions for young women in the Maasai Mara; the importance of quality management systems to achieve ISO accreditations; the creation of an ecological handbook and the importance of landscape-led design to enhance nature.

While we are not running a graduate scheme this year, we continue to make connections with local schools to spread awareness of career opportunities.

How can we support young people in deciding whether a career in this industry is suitable for them?

As a starting point, consider their preferred working style and interests.

For energetic lovers of the outdoors with an interest in the environment, consider the following roles:

• Forester or Fencer
• Tree Surgeon
• Gardener or Hard/Soft Landscaper

For creative individuals with a passion for enhancing nature, consider roles within:

• Landscape or garden designer
• Ecologist
• Forestry and arboriculture consultant

The roles above include a percentage of time spent researching, designing and communicating with clients and colleagues within an office environment. Site visits and fieldwork are also required for surveys and assessing project and client requirements.

To find out more about careers in this field, click below.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/careers-horticulture

Do you know a recent or soon-to-be school leaver who would be interested in a career at Nicholsons?

Work Experience

We have worked with many work-experience students over the years, including individuals from Years 7, 9 – 11, college and 6^th form students. We welcome individuals to contact us for placements in May and October 2025.

Contact the HR Team.