New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Production (Level 4) (Nursery Production)
Course details
| NZQF Level | 4 |
|---|
About the course
Learn the skills needed to work in today's commercial nurseries.
This programme is for you if you are already working in the nursery industry or looking to gain skills for employment in this field.
Learn how to propagate plants and identify good business practices while gaining an understanding of how to optimise plant growth and health using industry tools and techniques.
A stepping stone into a career growing plants and trees, and a job that could range from fruit growing or vegetable production, landscaping for homes or parks, a plant nursery enterprise, to tree production and revegetation to enhance our environment in line with the one billion trees programme.
Learn the skills needed to work in the Nursery Industry growing plants for food production and forestry, plants for our landscapes and native revegetation to enhance our natural environment.
What you will learn
You will learn advanced propagation and managing rootstocks for grafting and budding, as well as understand plant hormones and how to manage plant growth and health.
You will gain a working knowledge of your plants' water, nutrient and climatic needs, operating irrigation systems, and developing a plant crop protection programme to manage any pest disease and weed issues.
Part of the programme is developing a planting plan for a growing project of your choice. You will also set up your own soil-less media experiment to trial soil mixes, learn to produce a scale drawing for a landscape, and plan, plant and monitor a revegetation project.
You will also learn about the machinery and equipment of a nursery and will look at the business side of running a nursery and supervising others.
FREE Marlborough >> Richmond transport
Every Friday morning, our Marlborough learners will catch the free bus from the Marlborough Campus to the Richmond Campus for a day of practical learning before returning to Blenheim in the afternoon.
This ensures that our Marlborough learners can put their learning into practice through practical projects, interact with visiting industry experts, and work together as a team.
Career pathways
Work can be at a wide range of levels and in the nursery sector.
Positions can be seasonal to permanent. They can include nursery propagator, horticultural consultant, crop manager, cool store manager or science technician.
An example of the type of career path you can have in horticulture is beginning as a nursery assistant, moving up to seed source propagator, becoming production coordinator and then a manager.
Entry requirements
You can also progress from the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Level 3 (General) to this programme.
Academic requirements
- NCEA level 2
Or
- A qualification at Level 2 or above or;
- Evidence of relevant knowledge and experience in a primary industry environment, including literacy and numeracy abilities equivalent to NCEA (Level 1). (In this case, the applicant may be required to participate in an enrolment interview to verify the evidence.)
English language requirements
Applicants for whom English is not their first language must have an acceptable level of English language fluency before enrolment in the programme.
Ways in which English language fluency may be demonstrated include a successful study of a programme in which English was the language of instruction (conditions apply); completion of a New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 3 with any endorsement); approved scores on IELTS tests (Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5); or completion of accepted international equivalents.
Other requirements
- 16 years of age at the time the programme commences
- Be physically able to complete the programme-specific outcomes
About the provider
At NMIT, our goal is to ensure you graduate work-ready and confident in your knowledge and skills to step into a successful career. Our wrap-around support services guide you through the process of learning, teaching you skills for life and ensuring your well-being is supported so you can focus on achieving your goals.
NMIT strives to make meaningful and positive change to the businesses and members in our community. For nearly 120 years, we have stood strong as a cornerstone for high-quality tertiary education and community engagement Te Tauihu (the Top of the South).
This means when you join NMIT, you become connected to a network of industry partners and employment opportunities that can open doors for you. Our passionate tutors across multiple study areas are highly regarded and influential in their chosen fields.
Whatever path you wish to pursue, we'll do what we can to help you reach your goal. Our internationally recognised qualifications are yours for the taking, and the journey to get them can be a rewarding and uplifting experience.