The 22-year-old graduated this week with fellow apprentices Joseph Tapuni (25), Andrew Anderson (22) and Pippa Lucas (22), having completed the amenity horticulture apprenticeship at Dunedin Botanic Garden. Ms Scott, originally from Christchurch, has secured a job. She starts on Monday as a gardener and mowing lawns for the Ashburton District Council.
She found theory the toughest part of the course, in particular learning Latin to identify plant types. The most enjoyable part, she said, was making a contribution to maintaining the garden's high standard of presentation for the public.
Ms Scott and Mr Tapuni entered the apprenticeship via the Malcam Charitable Trust, through which they worked for a year at the garden before starting the three-year apprenticeship.
For Mr Tapuni, the course had been life-changing. He left school with limited reading and writing skills, which had improved greatly. The most challenging aspect was balancing the workload with becoming a father for the first time, he said.
