Those interested in pursuing a career in horticulture will enjoy a visit to the Mount Congreve School of Horticulture Open Day on Wednesday, March 13th 2024.
The school opened for the very first time in Spring 2023 and the students from the first year of study are set to graduate later this year. These full-time students will be on hand on March 13th to share their experiences and first-hand knowledge of the course with potential new students.
The Mount Congreve School of Horticulture partnered with the Waterford and Wexford Education & Training Board to develop this horticultural training opportunity in Waterford. The school is focused on maximising the educational potential that the world-renowned gardens have to offer and aims to continue to nurture the decades of gardening knowledge at the world-celebrated gardens and ensure the craft of horticulture for future generations.
Over the last year, students attending the Mount Congreve School of Horticulture have trained under the knowledgeable school education staff and also importantly the strong team of craft gardeners where huge knowledge transfer, peer-to-peer learning and the fostering of an environment where passion for horticulture has facilitated a sharing of knowledge and learning for all.
Course Leader Gerard Mullen says, “We’re delighted to host our very first open day for potential new students at the Mount Congreve School of Horticulture to showcase our training facility and grounds. We’ve had a really successful inaugural year with the first 16 full-time students undertaking our learning programme which has been designed with a range of modules tailored to delivery within these historical gardens and outdoor facilities.
Mount Congreve Gardens represent a unique location for the provision of horticultural education and the aim of the School of Horticulture is to maximise this potential in creating a hub destination for broad and varied educational offerings in the area of Horticulture. Capturing the centuries-old knowledge that has been passed down through generations of gardeners here at Mount Congreve is invaluable and we want to continue to nurture that knowledge transfer and help a host of new people to enter the world of professional horticulture.”
Students have the opportunity to study the full-time one-year Horticulture training programme based at the School of Horticulture which is fully supported and funded by the Waterford and Wexford Education & Training Board. Applications for the upcoming Level 5 Certificate in Horticulture 2024/ 2025 programme are now open.
The course provides an opportunity to study and train in one of the “Great Gardens of the World” amongst the vast botanical plant collections, four-acre walled garden, Georgian glasshouses, wetlands, and beautiful woodland gardens all of which present a unique opportunity to learn and experience a variety of microclimates and plant growing conditions.
The training programme has been designed to enable learners to acquire the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies to carry out horticulture operations in a range of horticulture fields linked to local employment opportunities. The award also enables learners to pursue further education and progression to a horticultural specialisation at Level 6 or to Higher Education Institutes at NFQ Level 7.
The course offers 16 full-time places and is currently open for applications at https://mountcongreve.com/school-of-horticulture/ The next course is set to commence in late April 2024.
The Mount Congreve School of Horticulture Open Day will take place on Wednesday, March 13th 2024 from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.
An introduction to the School and an overview of the Level 5 Certificate course will be followed by a tour of the gardens, botanical collections and facilities. The day will provide the opportunity to meet with our education staff and gardeners to explore the training programme and gain an insight into a career in horticulture. Students currently studying on the Level 5 Horticulture certificate programme will also be on-hand on the day to share their education experiences with potential new students. Anyone interested in attending should register for the event by emailing educationadmin@mountcongreve.com
