Research and work experience the keys to Charlotte’s career choice
After travelling and doing dead-end jobs to pay the bills for several years, Charlotte Wood decided it was time to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.
“I liked working outside and I’ve always been fascinated by plants and trees, so I put the things I enjoy the most together and picked horticulture.”
Looking for horticulture jobs on the internet, Charlotte discovered most of them required an apprenticeship. Because she’d never worked in horticulture before, Charlotte didn’t want to risk letting an employer down by starting an apprenticeship, realising it wasn’t for her and quitting.
So Charlotte did a 10 week cadetship first, with Nursery Garden Industry Victoria, at Swinburne Institute of TAFE.
When she excelled in the work placements at different nurseries, Charlotte wasn’t the only one who decided horticulture was the right job for her.
One of the nurseries, Speciality Trees, offered her an apprenticeship and she is now in her second year.
Charlotte’s research and work experience definitely paid off. Her employer Hamish Mitchell says the business’s first female horticulturalist has been a perfect fit, and Charlotte’s just as happy with her career choice.
“Horticulture’s great; you never stop learning,” she says. “It’s inspiring.”
Click here to view the Horticultural Nursery Assistant occupation page