He adds that gone are the days when, following the end of schooling, one settled into the same career for life. 

Today, Chapman believes, what is needed is skill development, ongoing and lots of it. “Throughout our working lives we should be accumulating skills, whether by going to university or tech, doing short courses, or on-the job learning. I think we should always be building our skill base and by doing that developing ourselves for our next career step. Simply put, without an ever-increasing skill base, you aren’t going to get a new career.”

“In horticulture, we want people with diverse skill sets; the more diverse the better. Technology and innovation are driving horticulture’s spectacular growth in New Zealand – our exports have grown in value 40% in the past two years. To continue this growth we need all sorts of expertise and skills, including IT specialists, software architects, engineers of every sort and persuasion, roboticists, biochemists, food technologists, packaging technicians, agronomists, scientists, marketers, supply chain managers, accountants, lawyers, communication specialists, and of course those skilled in horticulture.

“Not only that, but our growth means that those with the right skills will be paid well for those skills.”

To help senior high school students with their choices Horticulture New Zealand has a careers guide, packed with useful information around horticulture and how to land a dream job. Those interested can get this magazine by e-mailing Kirsty DeJong.

Source: HortNZ