A HORTICULTURAL student from Pershore College is set to represent the West Midlands in a major landscaping competition.
Milo Brennan, from Alvechurch is set to compete in the APL 2024 WorldSkills UK landscaping final on November 22.
The 18-year-old is in his second year of studying for a level 3 in professional horticulture and the competition at Oldham College will see him tasked with building a mock garden for judging, including planting, fencing, brickwork and paving.
Milo Brennan. s
Milo, who is seeking to follow in his dad’s footsteps as a landscape gardener, said: “I’m really looking forward to the competition and having the chance to represent the college at the final.
“We’ll be having a training experience for the first couple of days, before getting into the competition and creating the garden. It will utilise all the landscaping skills that I’ve learned during my time in college.
“I’ve always been a hands-on person. I studied A Levels for a year but realised that wasn’t for me, that was when I researched courses in horticulture and found the course at Pershore College.
“My dad is in the landscaping business and for the past two summers I have been supporting him on projects out in Portugal. I’m already starting to build up my own client base outside of college and putting what I’ve learned at college into action.”
Fellow student Kieran Doughty, 23, from Cheltenham was also named as one of the eight finalists but is unfortunately unable to compete due to other commitments.
Clive Evans, landscape tutor at Pershore College, added: “Only eight students are selected for the national finals, so for two of those to be from our college is absolutely brilliant.
“We have a proud history in this competition at Pershore College and over the years have seen a lot of students reach the final, however this is the first time we have had a finalist since 2019.
“Milo and Kieran are both excellent students with strong skill sets. They are committed to their own development, always learning and improving. We would like to wish Milo all the best for the final, he is a fantastic ambassador for the college.”
Pershore College, part of WCG, offers a wide range of horticulture courses including apprenticeships, full and part-time courses and degrees. See wcg.ac.uk/horticulture for more information.
