Horticulture Graduate Destinations
Where will your degree take you?
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Horticulture | Graduate Profiles
Why choose University Centre Reaseheath? Located in rural Cheshire, our 330-hectare campus provides the perfect learning environment for our horticulture undergraduates.
Our courses are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and our BSc (Hons) in Landscape Architecture has been designed to meet standards set by the Landscape Institute.
We offer world class, industry standard teaching facilities and there’s a range of sports pitches, agricultural land, grounds and communal gardens available onsite.
Our award-winning, internationally successful horticulture team will help you to develop practical skills and academic knowledge alongside professional and commercial business acumen.
Now more than ever the horticultural sector is looking to recruit talented, knowledgeable graduates who are industry-ready.
It’s your future; where will your degree take you? Leading the field With £9 million invested into Reaseheath’s National Centre for Horticulture, the Environment and Sustainable Technology, we’re proud to be supporting one of the country’s largest industries. You’ll benefit from learning in our world-class facilities which include a state-of-the-art commercial production unit and dedicated design studios.
Links to industry At University Centre Reaseheath you’ll be given all the training necessary along with vital access to relevant industry experience. Broaden your horizons by joining study tours; get the chance to compete in WorldSkills UK landscape gardening competitions, or design and build RHS medal-winning show gardens.
Our flexible degree courses We pride ourselves on providing high-quality degree courses which have been expertly designed with input from employers and our professional advisors.
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It’s your future Whether you’re looking for a career that’s academic, scientific, creative or ‘hands-on’, there’s more to horticulture than meets the eye. Working closely with our industry partners, we ensure that our graduates possess the transferable skills required for a successful career.
Grow yourself a great career Our horticultural degrees open the door to a variety of career paths including management, commercial plant production, greenspace and amenity horticulture, garden design, retail and landscape architecture. We believe that there’s no better endorsement than the recommendation of our graduates. The profiles contained in this booklet chart where the ‘Reaseheath Experience’ has taken a selection of our former students.
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Horticulture | Graduate Profiles
Our facilities
Our campus. Your classroom
Reaseheath’s £9 million Horticulture Centre brings together all aspects of the industry including primary food production, ornamental nursery stock production, landscape construction and design, amenity horticulture, environmental design and greenkeeping.
Set in the landscaped grounds of an original 17th Century manor house, University Centre Reaseheath provides the perfect learning environment for the study of horticulture.
You’ll benefit from a range of cutting edge facilities and resources.
Commercial production unit Our state-of-the-art commercial production unit includes:
Formal areas contain specialist plant collections including the national collection of Enkianthus, whilst our grounds boast a range of contrasting designed landscapes. Undergraduates also have access to our full commercial farming enterprise which operates a wide range of arable cropping and commercial scale modern machinery and cultivation techniques.
• A micropropagation unit to support the study of plant tissue culture and biotechnology • Three fully-automated commercial glasshouses with ‘Priva’ computercontrolled hydroponic systems • Innovative LED top and inter-crop lighting • A computerised environmental control system
Dedicated design studios Develop your CAD and graphic design skills inside our fully-equipped, dedicated design studios with: • CAD software including Vectorworks, GIS systems with DigiMap, and Google SketchUp • An ‘atelier’ studio for individual and group project work
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Horticulture | Graduate Profiles
The Reaseheath Experience £31 million has been invested across campus into facilities such as our state-of-the-art laboratories, campus sports facilities and residential student accommodation. All full-time undergraduates are invited to apply for residential accommodation. Students in their first year of study are guaranteed a place in our halls of residence, which provide single en-suite bedrooms with a workstation, WiFi and 24-hour security including a Safeguarding Officer and CCTV. This offer is made to all applicants who live more than a reasonable daily traveling distance from Reaseheath and who apply before 1st July. We’re also offering free transport on all college bus routes from September 2018.
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Horticulture | Graduate Profiles
Learning outside the lecture theatre We’re committed to providing our undergraduates with first-hand experience of how the horticultural sector operates with the support of our industry partners and professional advisors. Together, we’ll encourage you to broaden your horizons and develop transferable skills. • Visit heritage gardens, landscapes and townscapes, and join study tours to world famous gardens and commercial producers. • Put your design and visual communication skills into practice by entering national competitions such as the RHS Tatton Flower Show. • Over the last 10 years, our students have won 2 Best in Show, 4 Gold, 8 Silver Gilt and 4 Silver Awards for their RHS medal-winning show gardens. • Learn more about construction and landscaping with off-site visits and get the chance to compete in WorldSkills UK landscape gardening competitions.
Did you know? The UK horticultural industry contributes approximately £9 billion to the economy each year and employs around 300,000 people.
• Benefit from our working relationship with leading growers, suppliers and organisations such as the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), The Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH) and Plant Heritage. • We have links with The National Trust, Tatton Garden Society, Groundwork Cheshire and Cheshire Gardens Trust plus many historic gardens are easily accessible from our campus.
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Our Professional Advisor Peter Styles
Dip Hort Kew; Dip LA; FLI; FRSA
Peter is a Landscape Architect, Fellow of the Landscape Institute and founder member of Lingard Farrow Styles. Peter’s role as a Professional Advisor is to ensure that our degree programmes remain current and meet industry needs. Peter has practiced in landscape architecture for over 35 years after training in London in horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and landscape architecture at Thames Polytechnic. He is highly regarded by his peers as a Chartered Landscape Architect who has contributed substantially to the development of landscape architecture in Wales. Peter was elected vice-president of the Kew Guild in 2016.
“The horticultural industry embraces a whole range of exciting, fulfilling and profitable opportunities in the areas of research, media, design, practical skills and commerce. The horticulture courses offered at Reaseheath are the first step towards such a career.”
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Our degrees BSc (Hons) Applied Plant Science and Production Technology BSc (Hons) Landscape Architecture FdA Garden and Landscape Design
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Graduate Profiles
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Andy Gibson Landscape and Garden Design graduate, 2007 Landscape Architect Andy graduated from University Centre Reaseheath with a Foundation Degree in Landscape and Garden Design before attending Manchester Metropolitan University to study landscape architecture.
“Studying at Reaseheath gave me a leg up to starting my landscape architecture degree and the skills I learnt continue to be valuable in my choice of career.”
Andy’s interest in horticulture began while working on a family-owned production nursery in Cheshire. On joining a grower’s association, he was asked to contribute to a show garden at RHS Tatton Park and the experience fostered a keen enthusiasm for design. Inspired by this opportunity, Andy enrolled on a National Diploma in Landscape and Amenity Horticulture at Reaseheath and on completing this course he progressed to study a foundation degree. During his studies, Andy entered a WorldSkills UK landscape gardening competition where he was awarded the runners up prize. He was also part of the team responsible for constructing medalwinning gardens at RHS Tatton Park and Gardeners World Live, where he was privileged enough to meet Prince Charles. Andy went on to graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University with a first-class honours degree and a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture. As a landscape architect for The Environment Partnership (TEP), a multidisciplinary environmental practice in Warrington, Andy’s role involves urban design, landscape design and national infrastructure projects. He is also a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute.
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Craig Burgess BSc (Hons) Applied Plant Science and Production Technology Current student Craig’s decision to study horticulture was influenced by his grandmother, a keen gardener who taught him the basics. When his grandmother suffered a heart attack, he took over the care of her garden until she recovered. While still at school Craig attended a careers taster day at Reaseheath and was particularly inspired by his visit to the horticulture department. Following this, he enrolled on a Diploma in Horticulture and progressed to study a BSc (Hons) in Applied Plant Science and Production Technology with a view to pursuing a career in commercial plant production management. Craig gained valuable industry experience as a trainee crop worker for A. Pearson & Sons, a fruit and vegetable wholesalers in Cheshire, and this helped to inform his future career aims. He is currently employed by Reaseheath as a commercial production technician and works in the hydroponic greenhouses to produce tomatoes, strawberries and ornamental plants by overseeing the propagating facilities. Craig believes that the strong industry-focus provided by his degree course has facilitated his wider understanding of crop production and irrigation systems in the workplace. He hopes to go on to study a Masters degree in Viticulture and Oenology at Plumpton College.
“There’s so much more to horticulture than just gardening, and plant production is a great industry to be in. I have been able to put all my skills into practice, from planting and propagating, to checking health and improving plant growth.”
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Hannah Morrow BSc (Hons) in Applied Plant Science and Production Technology Current student After completing A-level qualifications, Hannah enjoyed a gap-year travelling before she returned to the UK to train as a hairdresser. However, her passion for plants led to a career in the retail sector. Working at a local garden centre, Hannah developed a keen interest in horticultural production and took the decision to retrain at University Centre Reaseheath with a view to pursuing a career in wholesale nursery management.
“It’s a very exciting time to go into the growing industry with all the technological advances. The way we grow is rapidly changing, leading to many new and exciting opportunities.”
Impressed by the substantial investment made into our cutting-edge horticultural technology, Hannah took every opportunity to gain scientific and research skills in Reaseheath’s industry-standard glasshouses and laboratories. In 2016, Hannah took the opportunity to work on a research project comparing the carbon footprint of Kenya’s rose growing industry to UK production, and displayed a scientific poster of her findings at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park. Understanding the value of industry knowledge to career progression, Hannah sourced work experience with Fryer’s Roses, which led to part-time work with the company, and secured a placement with worldrenowned breeder, David Austin Roses.
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Jane Bingham Garden Design graduate, 2015 Garden Designer Jane’s love of gardening was inspired by her grandfather who instilled the basics and encouraged her to plant cuttings. On leaving school Jane’s creative talents led her to study a BA (Hons) in Fashion and Textiles at Birmingham City University and, upon graduating, she pursued a career in retail. While working for a company who manage privatelyowned houses as wedding venues, Jane became captivated by the beauty of gardens she visited. Inspired by Diana Hastie, the dynamic business woman behind ‘Country House Wedding Venues’, Jane decided to enrol at University Centre Reaseheath to retrain in garden design. Her course covered all aspects of this fascinating industry with modules in garden design history and planting design, being accompanied by instruction on producing landscape contractor specifications and construction drawings. After graduating, Jane joined the Society of Garden Designers and attended their professional development courses before returning to Reaseheath to gain RHS Practical Horticulture qualifications. Studying gave Jane the confidence to launch her own business ‘The Cheshire Garden’, offering bespoke garden design through combining creativity with detailed technical planning. Jane assisted with Reaseheath’s show garden at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in 2015. She returned in 2017 with fellow student Penny Hearn and their design, for the Mid Cheshire Hospital’s charity ‘Everybody Knows Somebody’ Dementia Appeal, was awarded a silver-gilt medal and featured on BBC2’s television coverage.
“University Centre Reaseheath offers superb resources and a variety of courses in garden and landscape design, horticulture and related fields. Continuing professional development is a must and volunteering can help you gain experience by getting to know the experts in your chosen field.”
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Rick Tomlinson Landscape Design and Management graduate, 2014 Rick’s interest in horticulture began by spending time in his grandfather’s garden. On leaving school, he decided to pursue a career in the industry and started his own landscape maintenance business. A desire to learn more about the landscaping profession led Rick to enrol at University Centre Reaseheath where he completed a Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design, before progressing to study a BSc (Hons) in Landscape Design and Management.
“Studying at Reaseheath gave me a well-rounded knowledge of the industry and an understanding of how people, animals and plants fit together in different landscapes.These skills continue to assist me in my career and are essential when designing healthy and sustainable spaces.”
Inspired by the diversity of landscaping options available, Rick continued his education at Manchester Metropolitan University, graduating with a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture. Rick has recently gained professional accreditation as a chartered member of the Landscape Institute and is employed as a Landscape Manager for The Environment Partnership (TEP), a multidisciplinary environmental practice in Warrington. Rick’s role is incredibly varied and includes liaising with ecologists and arboriculturalists to implement landscape mitigation schemes for European protected species. He also procures and provides contract administration for landscape maintenance contracts throughout the North West. In addition, Rick is responsible for writing maintenance specifications and long-term management plans for attracting wildlife and improving amenity value.
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Tom Lewis Landscape Design and Management graduate, 2016 Tom was looking for a career that combined creativity with his love of the great outdoors, and horticulture seemed to fulfil his criteria. He gained practical experience at a local manor house doing landscaping work before enroling at University Centre Reaseheath to study a Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design. After graduating, Tom spent a year travelling in Canada to further his knowledge of landscaping. He then returned to Reaseheath to complete a BSc (Hons) in Landscape Design and Management. Tom found that his degree course provided a well-rounded view of the industry. He experienced all aspects of garden design - from creating designs and managing costings, to purchasing materials and managing a build - while his lecturers gave him the confidence to progress in his academic career. Tom gained practical industry experience by working on a garden design project for the Reaseheath show garden at RHS Tatton Flower Show. Called ‘A Taste of Wythenshawe’, Tom created the initial hand-drawings and mood boards for the garden. This opportunity gave Tom the confidence to take his design ideas to a wider audience, and the contacts he forged through his involvement led to a job offer with a landscape design company. Tom graduated in 2016 and is studying a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture at Manchester Metropolitan University with a view to pursuing a career in garden design or landscape architecture.
“My advice to others would be to get out there and get some work experience under your belt, this is essential if you’re considering a career in horticulture. A good start is to approach The National Trust or similar organisations and offer your services as a volunteer.”
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GET CONNECTED
Landscape and Plant Science ucreaseheath.ac.uk enquiries@reaseheath.ac.uk 01270 613284
University Centre Reaseheath, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 6DF
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