Writtle College has teamed up with a number of national and international organisations to launch a new campaign which aims to raise awareness of careers within horticulture to a young audience.

The infographic-style animation, which is the second video to be released as part of the “Writtle Futures” campaign, aims to make the subject area more appealing to a younger audience and communicate the diverse nature of the industry.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Lantra, British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIoH) and GROW have all given their backing to the campaign as the demand for new entrants within the horticulture industry continues to increase.

Writtle College, which has been providing horticultural education for over 120 years and was awarded Taught-Degree Awarding Powers in March, has enjoyed success at this year’s Young Gardeners of the Year competition where their Further Education horticulture students achieved a ‘Gold’ award, as well as ‘Best in Show’ and ‘People’s Choice’ awards.

Craig Emery, Marketing Manager at Writtle College, said: “People are always surprised to see the range of careers available to students after they have completed a horticulture course.

"A lot of the younger generation may view horticulture as purely gardening, but it is so much more than that.

“As long as a student has a passion and drive to make a difference, then the world of horticulture is open to them.

"There is a huge demand for people within the industry.

"Hopefully this campaign will change a few perceptions and encourage more people to consider it as a career path after school or college.

"Students are able to join us at a variety of study levels too, from apprenticeships, short courses and college courses through to degrees and postgraduate programmes, so we are confident to find the right course based on your education and experience.”

Raoul Curtis Machin, Chair of GROW, is very positive about the campaign: “As Chair of GROW I am really delighted to be able to support and help promote horticulture as a career to young people using videos like this one.

"This video offers a great boost for our sector and I am sure will enable more young people to see what fantastic career opportunities are available in horticulture today.”

Wayne Grills, Chief Executive of BALI, added: “The landscape industry offers excellent careers for horticultural students, from landscape design and construction to maintenance, and so BALI is delighted to support this video.”

Writtle College has already released the first instalment of the “Writtle Futures” campaign earlier in 2015 with the launch of an agriculture video.

"The overall aim of the campaign is to increase awareness and change perceptions of the land-based industries.

Find out more by visiting www.youtube.com/writtlecollege and join in the campaign by using #WrittleFutures on social media.