Apprenticeships
Thinking about starting a landscaping apprenticeship?
Combining paid on-the-job training with formal study with a Registered Training Organisation, a landscaping apprenticeship is a great way to become qualified and get a head start in your career.
University isn’t for everyone. Not a fan of sitting in a classroom listening to lectures? Don’t thrive on writing essays? Prefer to be outside in the sunshine?
When you complete an apprenticeship, you end up with a Nationally Recognised Qualification and the practical skills you need to thrive in your chosen field.
Here’s just some of what an apprenticeship with us looks like:
Do you enjoy spending time outdoors in the fresh air? Do you take pride in your work and enjoy working with a team of mates? Do you like the idea of working on a new project every month?
If you answered yes to any of the above, consider a landscaping apprenticeship!
Imagine being able to tell your mates that you helped construct Raging Waters water park, or that you built those four new sports fields down the road. Maybe you’ll even become such an expert in creating and maintaining floral displays that you’ll have members of the public stopping to take selfies in your gardens.
With a landscaping apprenticeship at Landscape Solutions, you are setting yourself up for an amazing career.
Please note – Unfortunately we do not currently offer Landscape Construction Apprentices in Victoria.
Ask us about our Apprentice Rewards Program!
We realise there is a lot of effort, hard work and dedication that goes into completing an apprenticeship. This is why we proudly reward our apprentices with a gift voucher as they reach each yearly milestone. This will total $2500 and over during the course of your apprenticeship.
We currently offer three types of apprenticeships:
Landscape Construction
- Qualification: Certificate III
- Duration: 4 years (3 in QLD)
When you complete a Landscape Construction apprenticeship, you are gaining a huge range of skills. You will be a sought-after team member during a time when we’re facing a national skills shortage. You’ll never be bored, with our construction team completing so much more than traditional landscaping.
One day you might be finalising the sand slitting for drainage on a new sports field and the next you’ll be using a combination of machinery (bobcats, excavators and more) to deliver below-ground infrastructure and services, making sure power, water and other utilities are ready for future connection. You’ll be part of a team that poured more than 12,500m3 of concrete last year alone, and continues to plant 1000’s of trees every year.
You’ll regularly be working on new projects so the sense of achievement will be constant. You’ll even help us win industry awards for our high-quality work. This is just scratching the surface of what this amazing career has to offer.
Parks & Gardens
- Qualification: Certificate III
- Duration: 4 years (3 in QLD)
With a Parks & Gardens apprenticeship, you might find yourself working at some of the most prestigious sites in the country.
At the end of your apprenticeship, you will be a qualified Horticulturalist. You’ll be an expert in creating and maintaining floral displays fit to rival the Chelsea Flower Show. You’ll even have the admiration of fellow green thumbs when you can identify plants by their scientific name. Weeds, pests and diseases won’t be a problem when you know exactly how to control them.
But it’s not all planting plants and hedging hedges. You’ll learn how to cultivate turf so that your lawn is so green all your neighbours are asking how you did it. You’ll also be able to install irrigation and assess drainage issues.
Embarking on a Parks & Gardens apprenticeship won’t always be easy but it will provide you with the expertise necessary for a long and fulfilling career.
Sports Turf Management
- Qualification: Certificate III
- Duration: 4 years (3 in QLD)
Preparing surfaces for sport is one of the most satisfying careers you could embark on. Planning your surface is a lot more than just cutting grass – although that’s pretty satisfying on some of our cool turf mowers.
It’s about compaction, cricket wicket preparation (how many runs will the future Australian cricket team captain will score on the wicket you prepared), adapting the surface to the variety of sports played today and their individual requirements.
With a sports turf apprenticeship, you’ll become an expert in specialised turf establishment and maintenance, irrigation systems, how to operate our turf machinery and even how to manage those pesky pests. It’s a deeply satisfying role.
9 Reasons to consider a Landscaping Apprenticeship
- Get paid! Earn money while you receive relevant on-the-job training.
- You will gain a Nationally Recognised Qualification
- Develop a huge range of skills during a national skills shortage (the skills employers really want).
- Your qualification means better pay and opportunities later on - you'll be at the top of the list for the best landscaping jobs.
- We really hope that you love your landscaping apprenticeship, but the great thing is, unlike a university degree you will know early on whether or not this is the path for you.
- You'll be part of a team of like-minded people.
- Still in school? Get a head start and begin your apprenticeship while you are still in school.
- You’re in high demand. As communities grow, so does the need for more green space. This is a career that will keep you busy.
- Travel! Not only do you get to work in some iconic and award-winning sites (Sydney's Barangaroo Reserve for example), but you can move between our NSW, Newcastle, QLD, VIC and Auckland offices.
Some of the skills you'll gain:
Landscape Construction
- Drainage Systems
- Create Concrete Features
- Paving
- Retaining Walls
- Plant Establishment
- Soil Improvements
- Constructing Brick Features
Parks & Gardens
- How to control weeds
- About pests, diseases, and disorders
- Developing plant nutrition programs
- Plants and their culture
- Learn to operate maintenance equipment
Sports Turf Management
- Install and operate drainage and irrigation systems
- Operate sports turf machinery
- Control weeds, pests and diseases
- Soil improvements
- Prepare, construct and renovate sports turf surfaces
What do we look for in a candidate?
- At this stage in your career, enthusiasm is key! And we need you to be a good listener.
- We are looking for people hoping to build a career within the industry, not just a job.
- People who are polite, with great communication skills.
- Someone who has a desire to learn and the ability to work as part of a team.
Helpful tips for your interview!
- Be confident when talking to your interviewer. Remember, we’re here to help!
- We appreciate good manners and honesty.
- Be on time and come prepared. If you have anything you’d like to show us, bring it with you on the day.
- Think about presentation! Working with us means you will become the face of the business – that starts from your first interview.
Here are some frequently asked questions about landscaping apprenticeships.
A landscaping apprenticeship combines paid on-the-job training with formal study with a Registered Training Organisation. It is a great way to become qualified and get a head start in your career. You end up with a Nationally Recognised Qualification, and the practical skills you need to thrive in your chosen field. A landscaping apprenticeship is a great option for people who like to spend time outdoors, take pride in their work and enjoy being part of a team. Whether it’s a Landscaping Construction Apprenticeship or Parks & Gardens, it will provide you with a wealth of opportunities from mentors who are experienced in their fields.
An apprenticeship takes four years to complete, or three if you are based in Queensland. Apprenticeships are ‘competency-based’, which means you can complete your training sooner if you get to the required skill levels more quickly than usual. You may also be granted course credits for any prior workplace experience or skills you already have, potentially reducing your formal training time.
Landscape Solutions will provide you with all your uniforms and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It is expected that you will wear this at all time when at work or TAFE. You will only need to provide your own steel cap boots.
Wherever you like! Landscaping has changed so much over the last 30 years. These days, landscaping offers real careers and opportunities. It’s so much more than a shovel, a wheel barrow and a muddy backyard. Once you’ve completed your apprenticeship, you’ll have variety of opportunities to further your career, whether that’s as a Team Leader, Turf Curator, Site Supervisor, Account Manager, Plant Operator or Leading Hand – just to name a few.
An apprenticeship is a great way to develop your skills and get a head start in a trade of your choice. Not only do you get paid while you train, you finish with a Nationally Recognised Qualification and have 3+ years of experience once you finish.