Orcharding Management Certificate, London
Our upcoming course will equip you with the skills necessary for effective orchard management, including designing new ones.
Our Certificate in Community Orcharding (CICO) is a unique course that combines high quality online learning with 7 action-packed, face-to-face training days. You will learn from orchard experts at a range of venues in Islington and Camden, topping up your learning at home with over 100 online resources.
This Level 3 course is accredited by Crossfields Institute and includes 12 pieces of homework. We've been training professionals since 2017 and it's been hugely successful, with over 230 students becoming certified orchardists. This course will be CICO15.
What can I gain from this course?
The course covers:
- Orchard survey and design
- Tree identification, physiology and taxonomy
- Tree planting, pruning and grafting
- Soil science and fertility
- Managing the groups caring for orchards
- Holistic orchard management, including biodiversity, pests & disease
Many of our students already work (or are planning to work) in the horticultural sector in roles such as rangers, community garden managers or horticultural therapists. Not only will this course give you skills and experience needed to help you progress, but you'll also benefit from being part of our inclusive orcharding network. Here's what a few of our students had to say:
“I'm excited that the training days incorporate visits to BPOC led gardens, and I also really appreciate that the pace of the course will allow me to continue working, looking for gardening jobs, and study the online materials for deeper learning.” - Naomi
"Taking the [CICO] course helped me out professionally...After finishing the course, I obtained a job as an Estate Worker in a Hertfordshire park...Being able to talk about the course helped me out in the interview." - Gora
"I have done some marking for The Orchard Project and also have a client booked in to prune their fruit tree. Found BOTH these opportunities through The Orchard Project." - Mirjam
"I'm now a project manager at a Forest Garden and I could not have got this job without my CICO experience." - Bethany
"This is the best course I've ever done!" - Franki
More information here.
What to expect
To introduce the training platform, give a course overview and set the first homework, you should attend one of these Zoom meetings:
- Wed 26th Feb, 18:00-19:30- introductory Zoom OR
- Sun 2nd Mar, 16:00-17:30 introductory Zoom
Face-to-face elements
You must attend all the face-to-face training days to be able to gain the Certificate. These take place on Mondays and Tuesdays, 10:00-16:00, and are held at various locations:
- Tue 25th Mar - Planting & Pruning - Castlehaven Community Association, Camden
- Thur 10th Apr - Grafting & Biodiversity - Hilldrop Community Centre, Islington
- Tue 22nd Apr - Soil & Surveying - Andover Community Centre (tbc), Islington
- Tue 27th May - Botany, fruit formation, tree id - King Henry's Walk Gardens, Islington
- Tue 3rd Jun - Successful group work - Castlehaven Community Association, Camden
- Mon 7th Jul - Orchard design - Andover Community Centre (tbc), Islington
- Tue 12th Aug - Summer pruning and grafting - Fenton House, Camden
Online elements
45 films and PowerPoints (with subtitles), 26 interactive quizzes and 33 downloadable PDFs. The training platform will be available a few days before the course starts and for a year after it finishes. All of our resources are unique and produced by us or with expert guests.
Workload
To support the online materials and the face-to-face training, you'll have access to our friendly tutors and of course, your fellow students. This will help you stay on top of the work, which includes 12 pieces of homework and six assessed quizzes. On average you can expect a couple of pieces of homework a month and will need to allow about 2 hours a week to complete it.
Your practical skills will be assessed on the face-to-face training days. Please note it’s similar level of difficulty as an A level. However, we can be flexible; if the accreditation is not for you, you can attend without being assessed for the Certificate.
Cost
- FREE* (9 places) access to full course with or without accreditation - see eligibility criteria below
- £1,190 (general, max 7) - full course & accreditation (payment by instalments available)
- £850* (concessionary, max 2) - full course & accreditation (payment by instalments available)
- £850 (unaccredited, max 2) - full course without accreditation (payment by instalments available)
- £400 (materials only x 2) - access to online learning materials and course book only
*FREE City Bridge Trust places x 8. Deadline to apply: Sunday 2nd February 2025. These 8 places are sponsored by City Bridge Trust and are open to people who are unemployed, economically inactive or on low income (below £20,000 p.a) and living in London. Once you have applied for one of the free places we will assess your application and prioritise people who are also from a minoritised group and/or aged 18-30. To apply, select the 'Free CBT' ticket and fill out the booking form. The deadline for applications is midnight on Sun 2nd Feb and we'll let you know if you have been successful by Tue 4th Feb.
**Concessionary places: For those who are unemployed, economically inactive or on low income (below £20,000 p.a.).
Pay-by-instalments: If you wish to pay-by-instalments please contact sarah@theorchardproject.org.uk prior to booking this ticket. The full cost of the course is £1,190 and you need to pay an initial deposit of £210 then set up a monthly standing order for £150, starting in February and ending in August 2025 (£140 x 7). For concessionary and unaccredited tickets (£850), you will pay an initial £150 and then £100 for 7 months.
Please contact jo@theorchardproject.org.uk if you have any other queries.
External links for financial support: