Hi, I’m Travis and I have just successfully completed my Level 2 Landscape Operative Apprenticeship. I got into landscaping after realising that being outdoors was an important aspect of my choice of career. I don’t remember horticulture or landscaping being talked about in careers at school, so I approached Riseholme College, near me. They advised me to apply for a landscape apprenticeship. I am a practical learner, and I liked the idea of learning new skills in a working environment, so it felt like an apprenticeship would really suit me.

I found an employer and was accepted onto the apprenticeship, and my interest quickly grew. Now I’ve developed a passion for all aspects of landscaping, which has only continued to grow over the years. There is never really an average day, but a typical job might include things like excavating sites using machinery or hand digging, laying paving like intricate porcelain or natural stone, installing water features, or laying sleeper retainer walls - and much more. Part of my job is also to read and interpret garden designs and bring them to life. This can be anything from excavation ground works through to the installation of hard standing paving, down to the final finishing touches of adding plants. We tend to work on complete garden makeovers or renovation.

I enjoy being outdoors and learning new skills. I think you get a lot of job satisfaction from being a landscaper, getting to stand back after all your hard work, knowing you built this beautiful garden with your colleagues. I enjoy the working friendships you build too, having fun alongside working, assisting and helping each other on a job, sometimes overcoming complicated and challenging tasks as a team.

Learning to read plans and work on different levels is a big skill that I have learnt; it’s the very centre of a good landscape project. Everything else is built on how well you have prepped the job according to levels.

People should consider landscaping as a career because the industry is very diverse, you get to learn loads of different skills in the job. Landscaping tends to fall into either hard or soft: hard landscaping includes things like laying bricks or paving, the structural elements of a garden, whereas soft landscaping is more about plants and planting plans. I tend to do more hard landscaping, but I have learnt a lot about both areas.

Landscaping is a really varied career, as no two projects are ever the same. You could be laying a patio, building a wall and erecting a gazebo on one project and, on another, you could be creating a water feature, constructing a path and planting a Mediterranean themed border. For me, landscaping is also very enjoyable as I love working in the great outdoors and keeping physically fit and healthy.