Skills to grow

It is no wonder people love parks. High quality parks and green spaces are crucial to our well-being. They invite physical activity and they provide a positive and welcoming environment for both physical and mental health. As well as the obvious benefit to the character of a place, parks are places where people meet, where they have fun, where they feel they belong.

The successful planning, design and management of parks and the wider network of green spaces requires a range of skills and occupations, from landscape architects to horticulturalists. But evidence shows both a decline in the numbers entering these occupations and a lack of existing skills within the sector.

CABE and its partners have analysed the problems and opportunities and Skills to grow offers a strategy for addressing them. The strategy sets out a clear set of priorities that will create the conditions for an effective green space sector.