CONTRACTING CURRICULAR NECESSITY OR CONFOUNDED NUISANCE?

The Local Government Act 1988 requires defined authorities to adopt a compulsory tendering regime which introduces a new contract culture into amenity horticulture organisations. Restructuring of amenity services into "client" and "contractor" functions indicate that additional skills and knowledges are required and that future horticultural career opportunities are dividing into two distinct and separate career paths.

It is suggested that horticulture education, possibly because of its desire to retain traditional practices and a lack of expertise in the required subjects, has not amended curricular to meet the demands of the new culture. The paper suggests that failure to find space in horticulture teaching schemes for the full range of contract management subjects will ultimately deny students the chance to reach the very top positions of their own profession.