How to Become an Apprentice Horticulturist
A career in horticulture involves outdoor work — growing and maintaining plants, gardens, and green spaces. You get to be with nature and see the results of your efforts bloom, literally.
Horticulture in Australia is a field that continues to grow, and skilled horticulturists are in demand for maintaining public parks, working in nurseries, managing sports turfs, and landscaping private homes. And the good news is that you don’t need a university degree to become a horticulturist.
Apprenticeships in horticulture offer a practical, supported pathway into the industry.
Why Choose an Apprenticeship in Horticulture?
If you want hands-on experience from the first day, apprenticeships are the answer. Instead of sitting in a classroom full-time, you’ll work on real job sites and receive guidance from experienced professionals while working towards a nationally recognised qualification.
An apprenticeship in horticulture is worth considering because you:
- Get paid to gain experience and learn the trade
- Work alongside experienced professionals
- Acquire formal training through a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)
- Build skills, confidence, and independence that prepare you for a successful future
- Get support from organisations, like 1300apprentice, who connect you with employers and provide ongoing guidance throughout your time as an apprentice horticulturist.
Taking the Horticulture Apprenticeship Pathway
During your apprenticeship, you can expect to complete a combination of on-the-job training and classroom-based learning. The goal is to equip you with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge required to succeed in any horticulture setting.
Your journey may call for acquiring certificates like these:
In the nursery, landscaping, park, and turf care sectors, you can pick up skills such as:
- Plant care, propagation, pruning, and pest control
- Soil management, composting, and mulching
- Installing and maintaining irrigation systems
- Utilising horticultural machinery and hand tools
- Reading and interpreting landscape plans
- Maintaining outdoor spaces
- Doing customer service and teamwork
- Implementing workplace health and safety protocols
Apprentice horticulturists can pursue a specialisation that aligns with their career goals. So when you finish your apprenticeship, you’ll have a nationally recognised qualification and job-ready skills.
Career outcomes include:
- Landscape gardener
- Nursery assistant or nursery supervisor
- Greenkeeper or turf manager
- Parks and gardens worker
- Horticultural technician
- Small business owner in landscaping or garden services.
Learn more about horticulture apprenticeship.
Discover Different Horticulture Specialisations
Not all apprenticeships in horticulture are the same, and that’s good news. Whether you’re someone who prefers creative design, large-scale plant propagation and production, landscape beautification, or keeping various sports fields in prime condition, there’s a specialisation that will suit your interests.
Landscaping Apprenticeship
Landscaping is a perfect fit if you enjoy hands-on work and watching your creative ideas come to life. It combines creativity and physical labour to build outdoor spaces from the ground up.
By taking the Certificate III in Landscape Construction, you’ll learn how to:
- Interpret landscape designs and plans
- Construct retaining walls, patios, pergolas, and paths
- Lay turf and install irrigation systems
- Use machinery such as bobcats, whacker packers, and saws
- Work with concrete, stones, bricks, timber, and plants.
Landscapers do work for residential yards and commercial properties alike. It’s physically demanding as it is highly rewarding and allows you to leave a lasting impression on your surroundings.
Parks and Gardens Apprenticeship
Parks and gardens apprenticeships involve working in peaceful green spaces and helping out the local community. The focus is on maintaining and improving private and public gardens, playgrounds, open spaces, and recreational facilities.
A Certificate III in Parks and Gardens builds your skills in:
- Plant selection and garden planning
- Turf management
- Soil conditioning, fertilisation, and composting
- Pest and weed control using eco-friendly practices
- Installing and repairing irrigation systems
- Tree pruning and hedge trimming
- Operating horticultural tools and ride-on mowers.
Nursery Apprenticeships
There are two distinct nursery pathways. Choosing to go with either depends on whether you prefer growing plants in bulk or helping customers pick the perfect plants for their gardens.
A Certificate III in Production Nursery focuses on propagation and plant production. You’ll work in a nursery that supplies plants to retailers, councils, or landscapers, and learn to:
- Propagate plants from cuttings or seeds
- Pot and re-pot plants effectively
- Monitor plant health and identify pests and diseases
- Control environmental conditions and apply fertilisers
- Operate greenhouses and automated irrigation systems
- Work safely around large machinery and equipment.
On the other hand, a Certificate III in Retail Nursery focuses on plant care and customer service in plant stores and garden centres. You will learn to:
- Identify seasonal plants
- Advise customers on fertilisers, plant care, soils, and various tools
- Display stock and maintain healthy plant displays
- Operate basic sales and point-of-sale (POS) systems
- Rotate stock and merchandise
- Handle returns and queries with professionalism.
Sports Turf Management Apprenticeship
If you would rather combine your love of sports and horticulture, then this specialised apprenticeship could be the right fit. Sports turf management is about maintaining top-quality playing surfaces at various sporting venues.
A Certificate III in Sports Turf Management will train you in:
- Maintaining and renovating sports turf for footy fields, cricket pitches, racecourses, golf courses, etc
- Managing turf health, including mowing patterns, aeration, and top dressing
- Installing and repairing drainage and irrigation systems
- Applying fertilisers and treating turf diseases
- Operating specialised turf equipment
- Assessing weather impacts and making turf management decisions based on usage schedules.
How to Start Your Journey as an Apprentice Horticulturist
- Apply for an apprenticeship online — Check our current job openings and submit your application, or get in touch with us.
- Connect with a host employer — You don’t need to worry about finding an employer by yourself. 1300apprentice will match you with a company or contractor that fits your qualifications and goals.
- Enrol in an accredited training program — 1300apprentice will guide you through the entire process and organise your certification with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).
Grow a Career That is Outdoors, Hands-on, and In-demand
Build a career in a field that’s practical and always evolving. If you would rather work in fresh air instead of fluorescent lights and love seeing your work take shape before your eyes, an apprenticeship in horticulture is the perfect path.
The team at 1300apprentice will support you from finding your apprenticeship to earning your qualification.
Contact us and take the first step towards your career in horticulture today.
