Apprentice Gardener Review
at Clarion Housing Group
Level 2 Apprenticeship
Sustainability
Bow, London, UK
Review Submitted: November 2025
Overall Rating
3.9 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
3.5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
3.8/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
My role as Apprentice Gardener at Clarion involves a variety of maintenance gardening that includes grass care, managing hedges, and establishing new plants. Much of this involves the use of machinery such as mowers (ride-on and pedestrian), hedge cutters, strimmers, hand-held blower, and non-mechanical tools also such as loppers, secateurs, and shears to name a few.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
3/5
Overall, I generally enjoy the programme. I enjoy learning about and practising my use of mechanical tools, understanding how gardening tasks change throughout the seasons, and increasing my knowledge of plant species.
However, I have found it difficult to engage in the classes provided by Greyseal (our external trainer) due to the poor teaching quality. Being able to apply my learning has been sometimes tricky as a result of this and has been compounded by the lack of practical guidance on the job. We have been left to learn from one another and not a mentor or experienced gardener. After a year into my programme, this has improved however. A new colleague who has experience in teaching horticulture joined recently and a series of training sessions led by them are underway. This has been really helpful in feeling like I am getting good training out of this apprenticeship.
However, I have found it difficult to engage in the classes provided by Greyseal (our external trainer) due to the poor teaching quality. Being able to apply my learning has been sometimes tricky as a result of this and has been compounded by the lack of practical guidance on the job. We have been left to learn from one another and not a mentor or experienced gardener. After a year into my programme, this has improved however. A new colleague who has experience in teaching horticulture joined recently and a series of training sessions led by them are underway. This has been really helpful in feeling like I am getting good training out of this apprenticeship.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
I am very happy with the number of new skills I have picked up so far in this programme. Before starting, I had no experience in using mechanical tools so this has been a huge step in developing my confidence and skills in this area. I also now have a much better idea of the time it may take to complete certain tasks, what tools I would need, and how to prioritise subtasks. This has helped me to improve my team-working skills as there is frequent communication required in my setting. I need to be able to update my team on how far along I got with a particular task, what needs finishing and if I encountered any problems.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
The in-house apprenticeship support team have been extremely helpful throughout the programme and even before I had a confirmed position. I was offered a pre-interview session where I met the team leader and apprenticeship support team who spoke in more detail about the position and interview process. I found this quite useful and gave me some confidence prior to the interview. Throughout the programme, the apprenticeship support team have been very proactive in their support and have helped me with any issue I have faced.
The main reason for the 3/5 rating is due to the lack of organisation amongst the team day to day. We are often told of tasks for the day on the day, minutes before or even after our start time. Instead, it would be helpful to have a weekly schedule sent out at the beginning of each week so that as a team, we can work more efficiently.
Also, what doesn't help with organisation is that the way certain gardening tasks are being carried out seems counter-intuitive. For example, often we are told to weed an area and then this area is left without being mulched or planted in, so the weeding almost becomes a pointless job. Similarly, after planting sometimes, that area is not visited soon enough after to carry out certain after-care measures such as watering, then to no surprise, plants are found dying/dead. These sorts of situations has left me feeling dissatisfied with the work I am carrying out and results in overall low positivity in the work that I do.
The main reason for the 3/5 rating is due to the lack of organisation amongst the team day to day. We are often told of tasks for the day on the day, minutes before or even after our start time. Instead, it would be helpful to have a weekly schedule sent out at the beginning of each week so that as a team, we can work more efficiently.
Also, what doesn't help with organisation is that the way certain gardening tasks are being carried out seems counter-intuitive. For example, often we are told to weed an area and then this area is left without being mulched or planted in, so the weeding almost becomes a pointless job. Similarly, after planting sometimes, that area is not visited soon enough after to carry out certain after-care measures such as watering, then to no surprise, plants are found dying/dead. These sorts of situations has left me feeling dissatisfied with the work I am carrying out and results in overall low positivity in the work that I do.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
My Team Leader, the apprenticeship support team, and my line manager offer a high level support through regular 1:1s and reviews where I feel I am listened to, solutions are provided, and actions taken to help improve my experience here. I feel comfortable to raise concerns as and when as all the support team are approachable.
I also benefit from the social events organised by the apprenticeship support team such as Apprenticeship Unwrapped. This an event held twice a year that brings all apprentices together where we can catch up, meet apprentices from around the company, and develop some of our soft skills. I have also received guidance from the apprenticeship team on improving my chances of further employment and extending my experience outside of my designated team.
I also benefit from the social events organised by the apprenticeship support team such as Apprenticeship Unwrapped. This an event held twice a year that brings all apprentices together where we can catch up, meet apprentices from around the company, and develop some of our soft skills. I have also received guidance from the apprenticeship team on improving my chances of further employment and extending my experience outside of my designated team.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
Overall, Grey Seal is fairly organised and does the basics well. However, the actual teaching content is extremely poor compared to what I have heard from others that have been on the same course elsewhere. Our tutor is very knowledgeable about 20% of the syllabus and the rest, he knows a bit or not much at all, to the point where students are correcting him.
In addition, the format of what we complete our work is not engaging, however we do have the freedom to create our own which is a helpful relief.
Despite these points, when I speak with my tutor about needing extra support, he has been very attentive and provided solutions to make sure I am progressing with my learning.
In addition, the format of what we complete our work is not engaging, however we do have the freedom to create our own which is a helpful relief.
Despite these points, when I speak with my tutor about needing extra support, he has been very attentive and provided solutions to make sure I am progressing with my learning.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
Unfortunately, because of the poor content of the actual course, I feel that a lot of the way in which I improve in my role is through practice and learning from colleagues, and when I do my own research.
Recently, we have had specific training on using certain tools and tool maintenance which has greatly helped in helping me to work safely and improve the longevity of the tools that we use. This training has not been provided by my trainer however, it's been a colleague with teaching experience.
Recently, we have had specific training on using certain tools and tool maintenance which has greatly helped in helping me to work safely and improve the longevity of the tools that we use. This training has not been provided by my trainer however, it's been a colleague with teaching experience.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
There are quite a few extra-curricular activities that I can take part in. Open to everyone are "networks" which cover various social groups such as the LGBTQ+ Network. These groups offer meetings and events where members can discuss social issues, learn about others and socialise.
Another company-wide event is the Roadshow. This is primarily a corporate event aimed at bringing together staff from all corners to discover how the previous year has been for the company, successes and things to improve on and look forward to for the future.
Specifically for apprentices are the Apprenticeship Unwrapped events that run twice a year, one being a more soft skill developing day, the other a social day out (this year we will be doing a life-sized monopoly game, exciting!).
Another company-wide event is the Roadshow. This is primarily a corporate event aimed at bringing together staff from all corners to discover how the previous year has been for the company, successes and things to improve on and look forward to for the future.
Specifically for apprentices are the Apprenticeship Unwrapped events that run twice a year, one being a more soft skill developing day, the other a social day out (this year we will be doing a life-sized monopoly game, exciting!).
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Clarion Housing Group to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Depending on what my friend was looking for, I might suggest Clarion Housing Group. My reasons for recommending would be the support offered by the apprenticeship team, the overall strong structure of the company, the salary, and the individual people being nice people to work with. Reasons for not recommending would be the disorganisation I've experienced in my team, strong corporate entity, and the training being poor.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Clarion Housing Group?
Ensure to read the job description well and reflect on whether it is the role you are looking for.
