Grow your own life skills, just like Dan
GREEN- FINGERED Dan McIntosh inherited a passion for gardening from his grandparents — and now he plans to turn it into a career.
The 18-year- old has already worked in a garden centre and has his own allotment in Edgbaston, Birmingham, where he grows vegetables such as broccoli and broad beans.
He is studying for a Horticulture Diploma Level 3 at Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet) — one of the largest further education colleges in the UK and attends courses held at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
‘The level 2 course I took last year involved being outdoors a lot,’ says Dan. ‘The level 3 course is less practical and more theory-based, so it encourages you to develop your managerial skills.
‘I’ve enjoyed it all because you’re still learning new things, and you get to complete assignments in lots of different ways.
‘ I kept a diary for an assignment about plant propagation. This is when you take the root of one plant and merge it with the shoot of another.
‘I had to keep a log of how well I looked after the plant and kept it free from pests and potential diseases.
‘I’ve also designed posters, written reports and set up a tree survey. On the practical side, I was assessed on shrub pruning so there’s a good, all-round mix. There are, of course, exams as well.’
Dan particularly enjoyed woodwork — another aspect of his course.
He is considering returning to BMet to study carpentry or even fine art when his horticulture course finishes.
He says: ‘Carpentry is a useful career to fall back on, and it links to horticulture, as I could end up producing bespoke birdhouses, benches and other garden furniture for clients.
‘I did make some birdhouses in my level 2 horticulture course, so have already had some experience of what this involves.’
Dan is currently in the middle of a landscape and garden design project, taking inspiration from the surroundings of a cottage on the site of Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
It is this opportunity to be creative that has led to him to consider studies in fine art. ‘I can see myself getting involved in landscaping work, so learning art and design principles would be really useful for this.’ DETAILS at bmet.ac.uk