Train in both management and horticulture to work in the cropping industry
Opportunities in this industry are likely to grow rapidly over coming years. The Agri Foods Skills Council (Australia) reported an impending shortage of skilled and professional personnel at their 2007 conference in Sydney. These sentiments were repeated again by the council in 2009.
Develop both the skills required to manage a horticultural farm (eg. Market Garden, Orchard), and also to developing knowledge in the identification, growing, processing and marketing crops and crop related products. This course involves eight units, plus a 200 hr workplace project. These are the four core units common to all streams of this Advanced Certificate (ie. Management, Business Operations, Office Practices and Marketing), and three specialist units of study relating to crop production.
COURSE STRUCTURE
This course is comprised of:
- Core studies - Four units (400 hours) of compulsory subjects for all students.
- Elective studies - Three stream units for the development of knowledge in crops
- Project - a workplace project of 200 hrs relevant to your field of study. The project specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study. Contact the school for more information.
CORE UNITS
Totalling 400 hours. All four of these modules must be studied and passed.
1. Office practices
Develops basic office skills covering use of equipment, communication systems (telephone, fax, etc) and office procedures such as filing, security, workplace organisations, etc.
2. Business operations
Develops knowledge of basic business operations and procedures (eg. types of businesses, financial management, business analysis, staffing, productivity, etc) and the skills to develop a 12 month business plan.
3. Management
Develops knowledge of management structures, terminology, supervision, recruitment and workplace health and safety.
4. Marketing Foundations
Develops a broad understanding of marketing and specific skills in writing advertisements, undertaking market research, developing an appropriate marketing plan and selling
STREAM MODULES
The three specialist units include:
1. Outdoor Plant Production This unit provides a foundation in crop production, with the following aims:
- Explain different cropping systems and their appropriate application for the production of different types of crops.
- Evaluate and explain organic plant production, and the requirements in at least two different countries, to achieve organic certification.
- Explain the function of soils and plant nutrition in outdoor cropping systems.
- Describe the commercial production of a range of nursery stock.
- Describe the commercial production of a range of tree fruit crops.
- Explain techniques used to produce a range of soft fruits.
- Explain techniques used to grow a range of vegetables.
- Explain the commercial production of outdoor-grown cut flowers.
- Describe the commercial production of herbs, nuts and other miscellaneous crops.
- Identify the risks that may occur in outdoor crop production.
2. Protected Plant Production Describe and evaluate the type and shape of modern growing structures
- Describe and evaluate environmental controls in protected cropping
- Explain the nature of solar radiation, transmission properties of glass and its substitutes
- Determine the water requirements of a crop; and methods of irrigation.
- Relate horticultural principles to the production and harvesting of a range of crops.
- Evaluate the factors involved in marketing protected crops
- Evaluate the factors involved in marketing protected crops
- Undertake risk assessment
3. Another Crops Module chosen from the following options:
- Cut Flower Production
- Commercial Vegetable Production
- Fruit Production
- Nut Production
- Mushroom Production
- Berry Fruit Production
- Viticulture
Fees do not include exam fees
WORK PLACE PROJECTS
This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award.
There are four 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.
A one module credit (100 hrs) can be achieved by verifying attendance at a series of industry meetings, as follows:
- Meetings may be seminars, conferences, trade shows, committee meetings, volunteer events (eg. Community working bees), or any other meeting where two or more industry people or people who are knowledgeable about their discipline.
- Opportunity must exist for the student to learn through networking, observation and/or interaction with people who know their industry or discipline
- A list of events should be submitted together with dates of each attended and times being claimed for each
- Documentary evidence must be submitted to the school to indicate support each item on the above list (eg. Receipts from seminars, conference or shows, letters from committee or organisation secretaries or committee members. All such documentation must contain a contact details)
Alternative 3.
Credits can be achieved by completing standard modules Workshop I, II and/or III. Each of these modules comprises a series of "hands on" PBL projects, designed as learning experiences that involve interaction with the horticultural industry. Research shows that PBL gives the learner greater long-term benefits than traditional learning, and many successful and progressive universities around the world use it in their courses. Graduates of PBL courses advance faster and further in their careers.
Other benefits of PBL:
- Develops critical and creative thinking;
- Creates effective problem-solvers;
- Increases motivation;
- Encourages lateral thinking;
- Improves communication and networking skills;
Every PBL project is carefully designed by experts to expose you to the information and skills that we want you to learn. When assigned a project, you are given:
- A statement of the problem (eg. diseased plant; failing business; property case study);
- Questions to consider when solving the problem;
- A framework for the time and effort you should spend on the project;
- Support from the school.
The problems that you will solve in your course will relate to what you are learning. They are problems that you might encounter when working that field, adapted to your level of study .
Alternative 4.
If you do not work in the relevant industry, you may undertake a project as follows.
This project could be 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 design the 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).
HOW TO PROCEED
1. Students are expected to select a suitable project or task to complete that allows the student toapply and integrate the knowledge and skills they have obtained as part of their studies.
2. The student should submit a draft proposal outlining their proposed project, study or task. The expected outcomes of this project should be clearly stated. This will be looked at by a tutor andcomments made. Students are welcome to visit the school or to talk to a tutor to obtain advice on how to draw up their proposal. The proposal should indicate what the student intends to do, how they intend to do it, where they intend to do it, and what they expect to produce (e.g. a written report, a folio, references from an employer) as a means of showing what they have achieved during their project/study/task.
3. A refined proposal will be submitted by the student incorporating changes based on the comments made by the tutor. This updated proposal will either be accepted as being suitable or further comments made. The proposal may need to be submitted several times before it is finally accepted.
4. The student will then be expected to carry out the project, study or task.
Progress Reports
The student will be expected to submit three progress reports during the duration of the progress. This is in addition to the final project product (e.g. report, folio). Each progress report should show what you have done so far (e.g. what research you have done, what tasks you have carried out, etc.). It should also cover any problems you have had so far, and if so, what you have done to overcome these problems. Each progress report should be in the vicinity of 300 - 500 words in length.
Progress Report 1. This should be submitted about one quarter of the way through your study/project/task.
Progress Report 2. This should be submitted about one half way through your study/project/task.
Progress Report 3. This should be submitted about three quarters of the way through your study/project/task.
Final Report
The final report should summarise the objective of the workplace project, and be set out like a professional report. Although content is the most important factor in determining a pass grade for the workplace project, your report should exhibit elements of professional report writing (in regards to spelling, grammar, clarity and presentation).
For 100 hours Workplace Projects: this report should be about 1,500 to 3,000 words.
For a 200 hour Workplace Project: this report should be about 3,000 to 5,000 words.
SUGGESTED READING
Our principal, John Mason has written several books that make useful references or background reading for anyone considering this course. These can be purchased through our online bookshop.
Click to full a full range of titles
Farm Management
Hard back printed book
Also available as an e book
Other Titles include....
Commercial Hydroponics (abailable both as printed book and as an e book)
Growing and Using Vegetables and Herbs
Profitable Farming
THE ACS TEAM APPROACHACS was founded by John Mason in 1979 as Australian Horticultural Correspondence School.
Right from these very early times, we've always believed that the best education only comes when the student is learning from the experience of a whole range of industry experts (rather than just a single teacher).
Every ACS course is a work in progress, continually evolving, with new information being added and old information being updated by our team of internationally renowned professional horticulturists.
Over the decades more than 100 horticulture experts from across the world have contributed to these courses, bringing their individual knowledge and experiences from as wide afield as England and Spain to Australia and America.
While may colleges and universities focus on providing courses that relate only to the country where they are based, ACS has always striven to make its courses relevant to all parts of the world; any climate, economic or cultural situation. This has been achieved by involving a large number of professionals in the course development.
When it comes to tutoring, marking papers and mentoring students, the team approach is just as strong as with our writing. ACS students have the ability to obtain advice and support from staff across the world, with horticulture tutors located in the UK, Australia (both the north and south) and New Zealand.
The ACS team approach and global focus to both course content and student support, ensures our graduates have a unique and "real world" skills set. This unique approach is highly regarded by our colleagues in horticulture.
