Ms Ferguson, who works for 45 South orchard near Cromwell, is studying for an advanced horticultural certificate at the Otago Polytechnic Central Otago campus.
After different careers including managing her own business, working for St John, and being full-time in the Navy reserves, she decided to leave Auckland for Cromwell.
Looking for a casual job, she was attracted to the industry because she enjoyed the area and being outside. Working for the orchard turned into a full-time position, which now supports her in her studies.
''Half the reason I wanted to stay is because of their support.
''45 South have made me feel welcome.''
Ms Ferguson said there were a lot of options for people who wanted to work in horticulture.
Skills learnt during training could be taken overseas or applied to different roles in different sectors within horticulture.
''There are different jobs to get into, and they [workers] can take their skills overseas.
''If you get into it young enough then you can do really well. You get out of a job what you put into it.''
In her view, to work in the industry a person needed to start at the bottom, because to be able to successfully run an orchard, an understanding of factors such as pruning, weather, plants and soil science was required.
She believed the industry's wages should reflect skill level, knowledge and the nature of the work, which was ''extremely hard''.
Young people wanting to enter the industry would benefit from studying at an institute such as a polytechnic before entering the workforce.
