Horticultural consultant : Training

The training offered by agricultural and horticultural consultancies involves a mixture of short courses and project work, supervised by a senior and more experienced colleague. The structure and duration of any training programme will depend upon the size of the consultancy and the pressures of business.

Graduates aiming to become technical consultants should look for employers who will provide the training necessary to obtain Basis (Registration) Ltd  qualifications or equivalent. BASIS, the British Agrochemical Standards Inspection Scheme, is an independent organisation set up by the agricultural and horticultural industries to provide training and maintain professional standards in areas including plant nutrition, pesticides and fertilisers. It publishes a register of practitioners qualified to give professional advice in these subject areas. To be included on the register, members must demonstrate that they keep their technical knowledge up to date through a range of recognised and assessed training activities.

If you are an independent consultant, it will be your own responsibility to keep up to date both in your specialist area and in the horticultural sector overall. This is done mainly through personal contacts, short courses and attendance at conferences and will be at your own expense. The key professional bodies, such as the Institute of Horticulture (IoH)  and the International Plant Propagators' Society (IPPS)  (see their UK regional web page), offer a range of training and networking opportunities.