We're so lucky to be based in Sheffield, The Outdoor City. Recognised as one of Europe’s greenest cities and the gateway to the Peak District; the city’s fantastic green spaces make for unique and desired workspaces.
If you are considering a land-based career, we’ve compiled some need-to-know information about your possible career paths below to help you make some decisions.
Gardeners/Landscape Gardeners
Gardeners/Landscape Gardeners are primarily responsible for designing, creating and then maintaining outdoor spaces ranging in style, size and budget. In this job role you could be self-employed or alternatively working for organisations such as local golf clubs, town councils, etc.
As with many other land-based careers you will need a variety of skills in order to fulfil the various responsibilities included within your role, including:
- physical skills like lifting, bending and carrying
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- customer service skills
- the ability to work well with your hands
- an eye for design
If you are looking for a job role that will allow you to utilise your creativity whilst maximising your time outdoors, then this is the career for you!
Florists
Florists are individuals who sell flowers and design bouquets for weddings, funerals and special occasions. As with other land-based careers, your working environment and experience could vary depending on your circumstances. For example, you could be self-employed working from a store, or alternatively, you could be part of a team working within a workshop.
On a day-to-day basis you could be expected to complete the following tasks amongst others:
- arrange displays of plants and flowers to attract customers
- talk to customers about their needs and help them choose flowers and plants
- take orders in person, on the phone and online
- keep flowers in perfect condition
- prepare arrangements for weddings, celebrations and funerals
- design and implement elaborate floral displays
If you think a creative, customer-facing career could be for you, why not visit our website to find out more about our land-based courses.
Forestry Workers
Forestry Workers care for and manage woodland areas and forests, ranging from small private plots of land to large national parks and publicly owned plots. Forestry Workers play an important part in protecting ecological and animal habitats and enhancing the future landscape of the UK.
Forest workers spend virtually all of their time working outdoors, in all weather conditions. The work can be physically challenging, with lots of lifting, climbing and walking through densely wooded areas, however also extremely rewarding.
As a Forestry Worker your duties will be extremely varied, examples of such being:
- Conducting forest surveys and assessing tree density.
- Carrying out tree safety inspections, marking out trees to be cut down.
- Doing general groundwork to clear sites and undergrowth.
- Planting new tree seedlings.
- Digging or installing more efficient drainage systems.
- Pruning and cutting back shrubs and other ground cover to promote the healthy growth of trees.
If you are looking for a job role that will allow you to continuously care for the UK’s ecological landscapes, a career in Forestry Work could be for you.
Next steps
These are just a small selection of the careers that could become available to you by applying for one of our land-based study programmes or Apprenticeships. To find out more about the programmes we have on offer, the facilities that you could be learning in, and the support you could receive from The Sheffield College visit our website, http://sheffcol.ac.uk/subject-areas/land-based-studies
