Provender Nurseries, a leading wholesale supplier to the landscape industry, becomes the latest to announce its partnership with the “Roots for the Future, Skills for today” collaboration planned for New Scientist Live (October 10–12, 2026, at ExCeL London).
Skills Crisis
While often perceived as a traditional trade, landscaping and horticulture are the backbone of modern sustainable urban design — and the sector is facing a serious skills shortage. A lack of visibility and limited exposure to career opportunities and STEM pathways in schools continue to fuel misconceptions, reducing interest among young people; today only 3% of the sector is aged 16–24.
This, in turn, has led to declining enrolment in related college courses and, in some cases, course closures altogether. As a result, the number of apprentices entering the profession remains far below what is needed to meet industry demand.
The Royal Horticultural Society reported that the sector requires approximately 7,000 new entrants each year to keep pace with growing needs. To help address this gap and secure the future talent pipeline, an industry-wide collaboration aims to inspire and educate more than 26,000 + visitors at New Scientist Live, including around c6,000 students attending the dedicated Schools Day.
Sponsors and stand partners play a vital role in ensuring that the landscape and horticulture exhibit stands out alongside major showcases for careers in agriculture, medicine, and engineering.
Green Professionals
Through its participation in this dynamic and interactive exhibit, Provender Nurseries will highlight how landscape architecture and professional horticultural expertise are essential tools in tackling some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges – cooling urban areas, enhancing biodiversity, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Richard McKenna, Managing Director of Provender Nurseries, said: “The future of our planet isn’t just in a computer lab; it’s in the soil and the way we design our living spaces. Landscape architecture is a high-skill STEM profession that combines ecology, engineering, and design. At New Scientist Live, we want to show that being a ‘green professional’ means being an environmental steward who uses living plants to solve the most pressing challenges of our time.”
Sustainable Leadership
Provender Nurseries is a pioneer in sustainable supply chains, being one of the first wholesale/trade supply nurseries in the UK to achieve Plant Healthy certification in 2021. Their involvement in the project underscores the importance of biosecurity and “right plant, right place” principles in creating long-term, sustainable landscapes.
The initiative to promote the horticultural and landscape sectors is supported by the Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA), Groundsfest and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).
Stand sharers and sponsors are asked to contact Christina Walker by email on chris1coombes@googlemail.com before 24th March.
