AHC30722

Certificate III in Horticulture

Plant yourself where your career will grow.

Qualification Description

The AHC30722 Certificate III in Horticulture is aimed at giving you the fundamental horticulture skills you’ll need to build a successful career in the greenlife industry. It will provide you with the specialist skills and knowledge that are in demand by organisations who create and maintain gardens, nurseries, landscapes and large open spaces, including parks, sporting fields, playgrounds and other public spaces. As the course allows you to specialise in open space management, it broadens your employment opportunities to include larger organisations, like governments and local councils.

Subsidised under SkillingSA an SA Government Initiative. Eligibility and subsidy criteria apply, please visit www.skills.sa.gov.au

Why Ironwood Institute?

Ironwood Institute has been delivering quality Horticulture training since 2009. It provides state-of the-art training facilities in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD with access to practical sites at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and Adelaide City Council Parks and Nurseries.

Outstanding Achievements

Ironwood students have won the prestigious South Australian Horticulture Student of the Year Award for 2022, 2023 and 2025.

Zoi Petersen, the 2025 winner with the Certificate III in Horticulture is currently working at Beimond Nursery and is also a Global Footprint Scholarship winner.

Lisa Agars, the 2023 winner, is currently studying Certificate III in Horticulture at Ironwood Institute. Lisa works at Ecodynamics in propagation and is currently studying her Diploma of Horticulture Management as a trainee.

Zoe Hsu, the 2022 winner, graduated with the Certificate III and Diploma of Horticulture and is currently working as a senior nursery person at Poplar Grove, a leading wholesale nursery at Sellicks Beach.

Important Information

Duration

The course will be delivered in 52 weeks (one year).

Full-time study for 43 weeks and a break period of 9 weeks between 4 study terms. Each study term is approx. 11 weeks long.

The scheduled contact study per week is 16 hours.

The classes are scheduled per study week for two full days (9 am to 5 pm)

There are also additional 7.5 hours of self-study scheduled per study week for students.

Intake Dates

Monthly

AQF Level

Pre-requisites

Nil

Mode of Delivery

Face to Face.

Location of Delivery

Classroom site:

Ironwood Institute: Level 3, 112-118 Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA 5000

Practical site:

Adelaide City Council Nursery:
War Memorial Dr, North Adelaide SA 5006
Adelaide City Council: Veale Gardens, South Terrace, Adelaide
Adelaide Botanic Gardens:
Hackney Road, Adelaide, SA 5000
St Laurence Priory:
134 Buxton Street, North Adelaide, SA 5006

The Institute does not provide transportation to sites and it is student’s responsibility to get there on time on practical training days either on bus or at their own transport medium.

Entry Requirements

Ironwood has a minimum level of requirements that students need to meet to enrol in a course(s)

All students need to be 18 years of age at time of commencement.
Satisfactory reading, writing, and numeracy skills. If you wish to access subsidised training, you will need to complete the CORE Skills Profile for Adults (CSPA) along with an Upfront Assessment of Needs to ascertain if you are suitable to undertake the training.

If you have a verified disability/medical condition and require additional support please contact Ironwood Admissions or call 08 8227 0300 before applying to discuss your needs. To be eligible for support you must provide medical documentation to verify your disability/medical condition.

Material and Equipment Required

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is compulsory for this course. Following are the PPE items:

Students can purchase through Ironwood Institute at the cost of AUD 250.00 or can make the items available at their own cost before course commencement.

Licensing/Regulatory Information

No occupational licensing, legislative, or certification requirements apply to this qualification at the time of publication.

Course Type

Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package Qualification

Course Structure

Total Units 17
Core Units 11
Elective Units 6

AHCPGD309

Perform specialist amenity pruning (Core)

AHCIRG346

Operate pressurised irrigation systems (Core)

AHCPMG302

Control plant pests, diseases and disorders (Core)

AHCPMG301

Control weeds (Core)

AHCSOL304

Implement soil improvements for garden and turf areas (Core)

AHCMOM304

Operate machinery and equipment (Core)

AHCWHS302

Contribute to workplace health and safety processes (Core)

AHCWRK320

Apply environmentally sustainable work practices (Core)

AHCCHM307

Prepare and apply chemicals to control pest, weeds and diseases (Core)

AHCCHM304

Transport and store chemicals (Core)

AHCPCM308

Identify and select plants (Core)

AHCPCM305

Implement a plant nutrition program (Elective)

AHCNSY313

Implement a propagation plan (Elective)

AHCBUS301

Use handheld e-business tolls (Elective)

AHCBIO303

Apply biosecurity measures (Elective)

AHCMOM305

Operate specialised machinery and equipment (Elective)

AHCMOM311

Operate precision control technology(Elective)

For further details about each unit of competency please refer to AHC30722 Certificate III in Horticulture.

Assessment Methods

Assessment methods include but are not limited to:

Role Plays
Observation/Demonstration of Practical Skills
Case Studies
Written Reports
Presentations
Interview/Oral questions
Written Tests

Qualification

On successful completion of this course, you will be awarded AHC30722 Certificate III in Horticulture. Students who successfully complete only one or more units of competency within this Qualification will receive a Statement of Attainment. (By enrolling in this course, Ironwood Institute does not guarantee a learner will successfully complete and receive the qualification).

Qualification Pathways

Certificate III in Landscape Construction, Certificate III in Arboriculture, Certificate IV in Horticulture, Certificate IV in Sports Turf Management, Certificate IV in Parks and Gardens, Certificate IV in Production Nursery, Diploma of Horticulture.

Work-based Training

Not applicable

Employment Opportunities

Job roles and titles vary across different industry sectors. For those with appropriate work experience, knowledge, and skills gained from this Certificate III can help the candidate to take on the following roles which include but not limited to:

(Ironwood Institute does not guarantee an employment outcome, licence, or accreditation at the completion of this qualification).

Work Placement

Not applicable

Fees

The cost of a course varies according to eligibility for government subsidies and the type of study. Government subsidies are available to residents of South Australia. Students who are not eligible for any subsidies will pay the full fee rate.

Fee Type	Admission (AUD)	Learning Resources(AUD)	PPE (AUD)	Tuition (AUD)	Total (AUD)	Payment Plan
Concession	$0	$0	$100	$0	$100	--
Subsidised Fee	$0	$0	$100	$498	$598	Initial deposit of $224.50 and the 3 payments of $124.50 every 3 months
Traineeship	$0	$0	$100	$498	$598	Initial deposit of $224.50 and the 3 payments of $124.50 every 3 months
Full Fee	$250	$250	$100	$9,975	$10,575	Initial deposit of $3,000 and the 3 payments of $2,525 every 3 months

Student Category	Enrolment Admission (AUD)	PPE (AUD)	Tuition (AUD)	Total (AUD)
Subsidised *	$500	$250	$1,950	$2,700
Subsidised & Concession **	$500	$250	$550	$1,300
Subsidised after completing Skill Set	NIL	NIL	$1,950	$1,950
Subsidised & Concession after completing Skill Set	NIL	NIL	$550	$550
Standard	$500	$250	$14,250	$15,000

* South Australian Residences and visa status applies
** Eligible Commonwealth Concession Card Holder
Please check your eligibility for subsidises at https://mytraining.skills.sa.gov.au/training/get-started/check-eligibility

Why Study Horticulture in Adelaide, South Australia

Recognised for its excellence in environmentally clean, safe, and advanced production making Adelaide a key horticulture destination. Ironwood’s horticulture program allows our students to gain the skills and knowledge to become job ready in all sorts of horticultural positions.

read

South Australia is a major producer of premium horticulture.
Technologically advanced and sustainable horticulture is a key focus in South Australia.
Number one in protected cropping in Australia, with more than 700 hectares of greenhouses with a high number of professional, vertically integrated businesses across the supply chain
Australia’s number one producer of onions and potatoes
Home to Australia’s National Almond Centre of Excellence
Home to the world-leading national Sterile Insect Technology facility
The Northern Adelaide Plains (NAP) is a key horticulture region of South Australia that lies immediately north of the Adelaide metropolitan area. The NAP produces approximately 198,000 tonnes of fresh produce, generating around 20% of the state’s horticulture production by volume and 33% by value, with a farm gate value of $317 million. The area is renowned for growing premium quality vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums, onions and potatoes. The region employs almost half of SA’s vegetable industry workers including job roles involving :
- broad-acre field vegetable cropping
- tree orchards
- high-technology climate controlled hydroponic systems and
- medium and low-technology poly and shade houses.

For more information visit https://www.northernadelaideplains.com.au/about

Adelaide is Australia’s 1st National Park City and the 2nd globally after London.

Learn more about Horticulture

Find out more about Horticulture in South Australia.

Further Information

Consumer Protection

The Australian Consumer Law provides consumer protection to the enrolled students at Ironwood Institute. The written agreement, and the right to make complaints and seek appeals of decisions and action under various processes, does not affect the rights of the student to take action under the Australian Consumer Law if the Australian Consumer Law applies.

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