Kew Specialist Certificate in Arboriculture
A one-year, full-time course where the KSC Arb student will be working within Kew’s tree collection
Duration
Overview
Kew Specialist Certificates are perfect for horticulturists wishing to specialise, or further their specialist knowledge in a particular area of horticulture by spending a full year within that area of specialism, in this case arboriculture.
Open to horticulturists anywhere in the world who would like to come to Kew to undertake some professional training in some of Kew’s unique plant collections. This course runs from September to September.
The course involves:
- working full-time within the Kew Arboricultural team and with the Arboretum Nursery team
- a two-week work experience/travel scholarship trip to further knowledge and experience of tree management
Kew's tree collection consists of:
- Around 11,000 individual trees
- Over 2,000 tree species, representing temperate woody plants from every continent except Antarctica
- One of the most diverse temperate tree collections at a single site anywhere in the world.
The collection includes wild origin material where possible, with documented provenance, making it critically valuable for comparative research and conservation planning.
Coursework
- attending The Management of Tree Collections and The Management of Living Collections lectures, alongside Kew Diploma students
- completing a Pest and Disease project looking at the P&D affecting trees in the UK
- Undertaking regular Plant Identification tests
Additional qualifications
Students will gain the following additional qualifications:
- FEPA PA1 & PA6aw
- Tractor driving
- Manual handling course
- Health & Safety training
Salary
- £26,234 per annum
Eligibility
- applicants are expected as a minimum to hold a Level 2 qualification in Arboriculture and have the following Arboriculture certification: CS30 & CS38
- should have six months* practical climbing experience in a professional arboricultural environment (*six months in total – not, for example, one day a week for six months)
- applicants should be computer literate with the ability to produce word-processed coursework
- applicants from overseas are considered, and acceptance is subject to a work permit being granted for non-EU nationals. A good working knowledge of the English language is essential and evidence to that effect will be requested
