Walworth Garden

Providing environmental gardening training

The UK faces a significant skills shortage and a lack of diversity in the nature sector. This presents an additional challenge to restoring nature at the scale needed to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises. Many people who could contribute are discouraged by limited access to paid training and work experience. Misconceptions that most nature-based jobs require a degree or specialist qualifications further exclude potential talent, especially from underrepresented groups. Addressing these issues is vital to building a skilled, diverse workforce to enable nature’s recovery.

Walworth Garden is a community garden in London that equips people with the skills to protect biodiversity and garden sustainably. The charity offers inclusive education and wellbeing programmes, helping people build their skills and spend time in nature.

Many participants move on to complete an accredited environmental gardening course – a year-long course with sessions held at different times across the week to be accessible to as many people as possible. Trainees receive support with finding employment once their course is complete, and can access work experience opportunities through Walworth Garden’s plant shop and environmental gardening services.