The shortage of skilled horticulturists in Australia and New Zealand botanic gardens has been a longstanding issue. During the 2011 BGANZ Congress, in Albury NSW, it was noted that existing horticultural training programs, including apprenticeships, trainee schemes, TAFE, and university courses, were not sufficiently preparing individuals with the necessary skills for advanced collections management and curation.

At the 7th Global Botanic Garden Congress 2022, Paul Smith, BGCI highlighted the importance of addressing the horticultural skill shortage as a priority for botanic gardens worldwide. He encouraged botanic garden managers to consider what specific resources their organisations would need to build staff knowledge, capacity, and skills in conservation horticulture. He asked questions such as: "Where are the gaps and how can they be addressed?"

Despite this recognition and various initiatives from BGANZ and other agencies to support professional development, there continues to be a deficiency of horticultural skills within the botanic gardens sector.

This workshop will address topics related to horticultural skills in botanic gardens, as well as the development and execution of specialised professional development and horticultural training programs.

Specifically, the workshop will explore:

· Factors contributing to the shortage of horticultural skills across the sector.

· The skills and attributes required for the effective curatorial management of living collections

· Understanding and evaluating previous and existing BGANZ horticulture focused professional development programs

· Investigating options for future targeted professional development and training programs to enhance member based horticultural training

· The potential roles that BGANZ and other possible collaborators could play in addressing these issues.