Staff at Aberglasney Gardens in the Tywi Valley took part in an innovative careers convention which allowed school pupils get a taste of land-based jobs.
The convention was organised by Careers Wales at the Coleg Sir Gar Gelli Aur campus in the Tywi Valley to help pupils from Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
“One of the key pillars of the convention was to allow the children to get out and about to sample various land-based jobs” said Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin.
“It was an excellent and very exciting opportunity for Year 9 students with an interest in land-based career opportunities to meet with professionals in the sector. “There were opportunities to get a taste of jobs in agriculture, agricultural engineering, animal studies and the equine industry. “At Aberglasney, we were able to explain a variety of career paths in everything from landscape design to countryside management. “For example, there are a whole host of career opportunities linked to a heritage garden like Aberglasney – Nursery assistant, garden centre gardener, landscape contractor, florist and horticultural journalist/lecturer.
“And the youngsters could start to think about careers in forestry, arboriculture, estate management, dry stonewalling, fisheries, gamekeeping and other allied horticultural trades. “The reality is that when it comes to career opportunities, Aberglasney is able to showcase a variety almost equal to the variety of plants we have on display!”
Mr Atkin added:
“It’s a very competitive world out there when it comes to chasing jobs, so a careers taster session like the one offered at Aberglasney goes a long way to helping school pupils. “Hopefully, their visit to Aberglasney and their attendance at the careers convention will put them on the right track when it comes to making up their minds on their career path. “In addition to giving the children a tour of the gardens and advice on various career opportunities, we also gave the youngsters a chance to get ‘hands-on’ and do some gardening work.
“It was nice to get them to appreciate that the work they did here will stand the test of time and be on display for years to come. “The children were very appreciative of the opportunity to visit Aberglasney and were very impressed with what they saw. As a gardener, I hope they catch the gardening bug and pursue career opportunities which are hugely rewarding.”
