Students graduate at inaugural horticulture ceremony in Waterford

History was made recently in Waterford when students graduated with a QQI Level Certificate in Horticulture at the inaugural Mount Congreve School of Horticulture Ceremony.

The Mount Congreve School of Horticulture was established in 2023, as an education initiative and collaboration between Mount Congreve Gardens and the Waterford Wexford Education & Training Board.

On October 17, the first students of the school were presented with their awards by the Deputy Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Adam Wyse. The first cohort of 16 full-time adult learners, were presented with their official QQI Award Certificates, achieved in conjunction with the Waterford and Wexford Education & Training Board following the completion of their full-time one-year programme of study.

Over the last year, students attending the Mount Congreve School of Horticulture trained under the knowledgeable school education staff and also  the strong team of craft gardeners where huge knowledge transfer and peer-to-peer learning was hugely beneficial.

Speaking at the event Course Leader Ger Mullen said there was great pride in what the students achieved.
"Beginning this school, our goal was to establish a new horticultural training facility focused on the teaching of hands-on practical gardening and key vocational horticultural skills here, and I am very happy to say that this has been achieved," he said.

"We have this wonderful resource on the doorstep here in Waterford," he added. He also said the location had everything from a vast tree collection, to encourage budding tree surgeons, to a vast walled kitchen garden for those looking at organic growing not to mention the acres of landscaped gardens to inspire and educate a new generation of gardeners.

"These unique horticultural facilities and vast acres of plant collections provided the ideal training grounds for anyone looking to start on their career path in horticulture," he said.

"It has been a pleasure to guide these dedicated students through their learning over the last 12 months and all of us here at WWETB and the Mount Congreve School of Horticulture wish them every success in their future careers," he added.

Ray Sinnott, Estate Director at Mount Congreve Gardens, said: “Mr Congreve, through his passion for plants and lifetime of development of the gardens, was such an example of lifelong learning and continued to nurture his horticultural knowledge and passion for plants."

He said the school's focus was on maximising the educational potential that the world-renowned gardens have to offer and it's aim is to continue to nurture their decades of gardening knowledge to ensure the craft of horticulture for future generations. 

"Here at Mount Congreve, we believe that this location will become a centre of excellence for horticultural training, producing graduates that are job-ready and linked with local employment opportunities, or a stepping stone for those students wishing to progress into further education or training," he said.

"We wish our heartiest congratulations to all of the students and wish them many years of fruitful gardening," he added.

Looking to the future and the opportunities for the newly qualified gardeners, Ray said: “We would like to acknowledge the contribution also played by local horticultural employers, some of whom are here to help celebrate the students’ achievements, and who have engaged with the school and its work placement programme to provide students with invaluable work experience and provide an insight into varied areas of horticulture." 

"The opportunity to put your skills learned into practice in the workplace setting is an invaluable contribution to your training and we thank the local industry for their continued support in engaging with education and the upcoming generation of horticulturalists," he said.

Enrolment is now open for the 2025 Horticulture course which is a one-year training programme, based at the School of Horticulture, fully supported and funded by the Waterford and Wexford Education & Training Board. Applications are invited for the upcoming QQI Level 5 Certificate in Horticulture, starting in April 2025. To apply or learn more go online to https://mountcongreve.com/school-of-horticulture/ or email educationadmin@mountcongreve.com for an application form.