Course details

Summary

Programme highlights

Get hands on experience with planting, pruning, lawn care, using and maintaining tools and machinery to give you the skills required for a career in parks and gardens.

Extend your skills and knowledge of parks and gardens development and maintenance to gain a practical qualification.

Carry out regeneration plantings; manage the seasonal aspects of parks and gardens while gaining hands on practical experience in the community at off-site parks and gardens locations.

Through work placement develop self-management, professional conduct and communication skills while carrying out parks and gardens tasks in real world situations.

This programme includes 105 hours based in a relevant Parks and Gardens industry operation.

Career opportunities

Amenity Gardener, Collection Curator, Grounds Persons, Amenity Contractor

Programme structure

This certificate is based on both practical activities and theory content.

The four courses are:

Plants and Maintenance - Demonstrate communication skills, interact with team members and colleagues, select and plant plants, carry out routine maintenance tasks for the landscape industry

Parks and Gardens Development and Quality - Carry out the development of parks and garden spaces, work safely tools and machinery in parks and gardens, ensure quality assurance of parks and gardens through the growing seasons, keep amenity records throughout the growing seasons

Seasonal Management of Parks and Gardens - Plan and manage seasonal management plans in parks and gardens situation, carry out regeneration plantings, plan and manage the seasonal management of plants in parks and gardens

Work Placement - Demonstrating communication skills and professional conduct, instructing and supervising team members, carrying out specific parks and gardens tasks.

Further study

Diploma in Landscape (Level 5) which leads to the New Zealand Diploma in Landscape (Level 5) which leads to a strand in Landscape Construction

New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Services with strands in Amenity, and Sports Turf (Level 5)

New Zealand Diploma in Horticulture Production with strands in Fruit Production, Indoor Production, Outdoor Vegetable Production, Nursery Production, and Post-Harvest (level 5)

Entry criteria

Applicants must meet the following entry requirements:

General - Be physically capable of completing the practical aspects of the programme as per the Faculty Checklist at an information session.
Academic - Have an appropriate level of literacy and numeracy skills to study at Level 4
English Language Entry Requirements - Applicants must have sufficient competence in the English language to undertake this programme which is taught and assessed in English. This will be demonstrated by meeting the current NZQA requirements.

• IELTS test - General or Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower then 5
• TOEFL Paper-based test (pBT) - Score of 530 (with an essay score of 4.5 TWE)
• TOEFL Internet-based test (iBT) - Score of 46 (with a writing score of 20)
• Cambridge English Examinations - FCE or FCE for schools with a score of 162. No less than 154 in each skill OET at Grade C in all sub-tests
• NZCEL a) Expiring b) Current - a) Level 3 (Academic) b) Level 3 (Applied)
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PToE (Academic) score of 42
• City & Guilds IESOL - B2 Communicator with a score of 42

Provisional Entry

Students who have attained the age of 20 years and do not hold the minimum entry requirements for a programme will be eligible to be enrolled as a student where their previous educational, work or life experience indicates they have a reasonable likelihood of success. Students who have not attained the age of 20 years and do not hold the required minimum entry requirements for a programme may also be eligible to enrol in exceptional circumstances. Such decisions will be made by the Faculty Dean.