76% of Future Gardeners who completed the course are now working in the horticultural industry.
Future Gardeners
Launched in 2016, Future Gardeners is an innovative training and work experience scheme, giving participants the core skills to gain entry level jobs in the horticulture industry without having any previous experience or specialist education.
Open to all who want to try out a career in gardening, Future Gardeners is an educational scheme that doesn’t require entrants to have minimum educational qualifications.
As well as pre-apprenticeship training and a City & Guilds qualification, the budding horticulturists will have their career options enhanced by being introduced to key employers in the sector, including some at London’s finest parks and gardens.
The impact of Future Gardeners:
Download the First Year Report here
Download the Second Year Report here
Download the Third Year Report here
Download the Fourth Year Report here
Download the Fifth Year Report here
Download the Sixth Year Report here
Download the Seventh Year Report here
Download the Eighth Year Report here
Future Gardeners is expanding to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Thamesmead
In May 2023, we launched a pilot project of Future Gardeners at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This version is open to people local to the park and is, as ever, designed to enable people to gain the core skills they need to go on to access entry level jobs in the horticulture industry. The course has been made possible through a partnership with Bankside Open Spaces Trust, the (LLDC) London Legacy Development Corporation, The Skills Centre and idverde. Read more about it here.
“I can’t describe how important the whole journey has been to me... I have always looked forward to these two days per week to gain the knowledge in horticulture. Thanks for organising this amazing course!”
Future Gardeners Graduate
Future Gardeners Work Experience Charter
Meaningful work experience is a key component to the Future Gardeners course and is fundamental to supporting our students into long term careers in the industry. Understanding this, we have created the Future Gardeners Work Placement Charter that sets a benchmark for purposeful and supportive work experience opportunities in the Horticultural industry.
We already have several organisations as signatories including Kew Gardens, Royal Historical Palaces (Hampton Court and Kensington Palace), Grosvenor Estates, Frognal Gardens, Chelsea Physic Gardens and Provender Nurseries.
Championing horticultural careers
In early 2024, our Future Gardeners project team submitted written evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's inquiry into Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors.
The committee sees MPs look at career pathways into land-based sectors, which cover outdoor jobs like farming and horticulture, how the sector can attract and retain workers, and what its future workforce might look like.
Bankside Open Spaces Trust submitted written evidence to the committee from Louisa Mansfield and Shereen Chung-Blake of our Future Gardeners programme. Our evidence focused on the value of environmental horticulture, its benefits to the economy, and proven track record of tackling inequalities in employment for minority groups and those with disabilities. We asked that environmental horticulture be included in the government’s green jobs and skills definitions and that the value of this sector is recognised. To read more, including a snapshot of our evidence, click here.
Future Gardeners course applications
The Central programme runs from Waterloo three times a year starting in January, May and September. The course is completely free and runs for 10 weeks - this is part-time at two days a week and a two-week full-time work placement. Sessions are based at Living Space (near Waterloo) and Roots and Shoots (near Kennington). The course includes studying for a Level 1 City and Guilds horticultural qualification plus visits and workdays to other locations across London. The next course starting in January 2025 is now full and we are not taking any further applications. If you are still interested in the course, please fill out the form below and you will be considered for the next course starting in May 2025. We will be in touch with you about the next steps in the application process nearer the course start date.
The South East programme is going to be running in Thamesmead in early 2025 in partnership with Peabody and Maylim. This will run for 8 weeks and include a Level 1 City and Guilds Award qualification. Due to high demand the applications for this course have now closed. If you are still interested in the Thamesmead course in particular, please email louisa@bost.org.uk, otherwise please apply for the Central programme.
Future Gardeners - partnerships
Bankside Open Spaces Trust has teamed up with The Worshipful Company of Gardeners and the Royal Parks Guild, to deliver the programme. We’d also like to thank the following supporters and partners, who help to make our course possible:
The Band Trust, Bankside Hotel, Chelsea Physic Garden, Chiswick House and Gardens, City of London, Eden Project, Fresh Horticultural Careers, Great Portland Estates, Greater London Authority, Grosvenor Estates, Groundscapes, Housing for Women, Hyde Park Nursery, idverde, Jo Thompson Garden Design, Love London Working, Miria Harris Design Limited, National Trust, Peer Group PLC, Rochfords, Roots and Shoots, Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, Royal College of Physicians, Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), St. John’s Churchyard, The Barbican Conservatory, The Birrane Foundation, The Charterhouse Gardens, The Gardener’s Guild, The Henry Smith Charity, The Horlock Education Trust, The Landscape Show, The Westway Trust, Urban Growth, Walworth Garden, Wandsworth Prison and those who wish to remain anonymous.