Learn Practical Skills and a Career in Professional Gardening.

For people who already have some related qualifications or experience, who seek to supplement their existing skills and gain an industry specific qualification that enhances their employability and capacity to work in a specialised area of horticulture.

A Specialist Award requires the completion of 3 modules and demonstration of 200 hours work experience. 

This course is designed primarily INDUSTRY PROJECT OR WORK EXPERIENCE

This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award.

 

There are two options available to you to satisfy this requirement:

 

Alternative 1.

If you work in the industry that you have been studying; you may submit a reference from your employer, in an effort to satisfy this industry (ie. workplace project) requirement; on the basis of RPL (ie. recognition for prior learning), achieved through your current and past work experience.

The reference must indicate that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.

 

Alternative 2.

If you do not work in the relevant industry, you need to undertake a project as follows.

 

 

 

Procedure for a Workplace Project

This project is a major part of the course involving the number of hours relevant to the course (see above). Although the course does not contain mandatory work requirements, work experience is seen as highly desirable.

 

This project is based on applications in the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

 

Students will design this project in consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide suitable references from employers that show they have already fulfilled the requirements of this project.

 

For courses that involve more than 100 hours, more than one workplace project topic may be selected. For example, 200 hours may be split into two projects each of 100 hours. This will offer the student better scope to fulfill the needs of their course and to meet the number of hours required. Alternatively, the student may wish to do one large project with a duration of 200 hours.

Students will be assessed on how well they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their negotiations with their tutor. During each 100 hours of the project, the students will present three short progress reports. These progress reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission. The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.

If the student wishes to do one large 200 hour report, then only three progressive reports will be needed (however the length of each report will be longer).

A proficiency award a course of study designed for people who already hold qualifications and/or experience in horticulture or a related discipline. 
While assuming that you already have a broad understanding of horticulture, it acknowledges that you may have areas of weakness that you need to strengthen; whether that be in the plabt knowledge, culture or something else.

The course is designed to allow you to concentrate your studies on the areas you need to strengthen, without needing to revisit the other areas of horticulture which you have already mastered.

For more information on this course, please request your free course information pack.