Here at RG Driveways Birmingham, our landscaper is hired to make your outdoor space such as, your garden, patio, decking, etc. look beautiful. They will perform many tasks from picking up litter, cutting the grass, pulling the weeds, and planting or removing flowers and plants.
A landscaper uses hand tools and power tools to trim bushes, trees, and plants. They would operate equipment such as push lawn mowers, riding lawn mowers, chainsaws, and weed eaters to efficiently landscape an area. In addition to using hand and power tools, they also take care of plants by watering and fertilising them and pruning them back when necessary.
How do I become a Landscaper?
You don’t need years of academic experience, as training will always be provided while working as a Landscaper. However, some companies may ask for a High School Diploma, such as, Maths and English.
This may be an ideal job for those finishing school or college for the summer, or for those who have a passion/hobby in gardening and love the outdoors. You also get into this job through the following:
- A College Course
- An Apprenticeship
- Working Towards this Role
- Applying directly to a Landscaping company
- Specialist courses run by a professional body
A College Course in Landscaping
You may find it useful to build up your skills by doing a course at your local college, these following courses should brush up your skills in helping you become a skilled tradesman in Landscaping.
- Level 2 Diploma in Horticulture and Amenity Horticulture
- Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture
- Level 3 Certificate or Diploma in Horticulture
Your Entry Requirements you will need before being enrolled onto the college course are:
- 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or the equivalent to a Level 2 course.
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or the equivalent to a level 3 course.
Landscaping Apprenticeship
If you’re scratching to get into a job straight away, you can apply through the Horticulture and Landscape operative intermediate apprenticeship, which has two options:
- Horticulture
- Landscape Construction
As you gain more experience, you may move onto a landscape supervisor advanced apprenticeship as you get more experience.
Your Entry Requirements you will need before being hired as an apprentice are as follows:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
What it takes to be a Landscaper
You will need the skills and knowledge about Landscaping and Garden Design before being considered to be part of a well-established team, however, we have put together a list of what we’re looking for in you:
- To be thorough and pay attention to detail
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work well with others
- ambition and a desire to succeed
- sensitivity and understanding
- physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
- the ability to work well with your hands
- customer service skills
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Career Paths and Progression
Once you have the skills and knowledge, you could progress to a supervisory or management position. Maybe, with some more experience, you could become a self-employed contractor.
Or, if it’s helping others that you like doing, moving into a teaching role and showing people who are in the same position you were when you started learning could be another path to take. This industry has a lot of areas that you could take part in and even learn new skills in.
About Us
RG Driveways Birmingham is a family run landscaping and driveways business located in Birmingham, West Midlands. Our garden designs, garden maintenance projects and unique driveways are crafted to suit your personal taste and are constructed by our highly experienced team.
Since RG Contractors was founded in 2007, they have been acclaimed for delivering first class customer service and by delivering perfection regardless of the size of the landscaping project.
The majority of our new business is referred to us by satisfied customers in Solihull, Birmingham. If you’re looking for driveway cleaning, tarmac driveways or a landscaping and company with a difference that sets us apart from the rest, one that really cares about you and creating a peaceful and stunning outdoor space for your family and friends to enjoy for years to come.