Professional Development (CPD) Courses

Aimed at dedicated students, this course is comprehensive and challenging and gives you the opportunity to reap the rewards.  This course covers a broad range of Horticultural Sciences including Propagation, Soil Management, Botany I, Horticulture, Protected Plant Production, Maintaining Ornamental Gardens and Turf Care among others.

Learn and Work in Horticultural Commerce

Learn farm management for orchards, market gardens, nurseries and herb farms, via distance education in this comprehensive 600 hour course. 

Work in the Establishment and Care of Home Gardens

Gain skills and knowledge in horticulture with this very practical experience-based course, supported by leading horticulture professionals.

HOME STUDY - GARDEN DESIGN & LANDSCAPING CERTIFICATE

On completion of this course the student should be able to draw landscape plans, compile specifications, and prepare cost estimates.

This course has operated for many years as an effective training program for people working, or wishing to work, in the landscape industry; either in their own business, or at a supervisory level for someone else. This is 600 hrs of substantial study -a reasonable commitment; but for a serious career, most successful designers would consider around 600 hrs of study to be a minimum amount of learning to become a good designer.

Use the link below ('read more') to view more comprehensive details on this course.

• propagation
• pest and disease control
• herbal harvests
• soils for herbs
• herb varieties
• using herbs for cooking and medicine
• garden design and more.

If your interest is in all areas of landscaping: design, contracting and construction; this course is for you. A 6-700 hour course designed to train landscape contractors and/or designers. This course develops skills in general horticulture, plant identification and use, designing, costing and constructing gardens. This course is similar to other VHT002 horticulture certificates in its introductory (core) units, but devotes 50% of the course to topics specifically related to landscaping.

OUR MOST POPULAR COURSE FOR ANYONE JUST STARTING OUT IN HORTICULTURE AND LANDSCAPING

Meet one of the Graduates:

Jamie Speeding studied and completed this certificate in the mid 1990's. While studying he formed his own business, Greenhort Design. Soon after Jamie became a member of The Australian Institute Of Horticulture (AIH) and was elected inaugural Chair of the Gold Coast branch, a position he held for three consecutive terms. His dedication to the industry saw him appointed on various industry advisory committees, form strong ties between the local nursery industry and help initiate the move to establish a botanic garden on the Gold Coast. He has also been a lecturer, magazine journalist and spent several years hosting a radio show on the local ABC.
Today he is fully occupied with commercial Landscape design. "For the past 18 months I have been mainly designing/drafting ACAD residential development landscape plans and childcare centers nationwide for Council submission. I now employ several full-time drafters and designers as the demand for our services has increased ten-fold."

Jamie believes that a lot of his success in the horticulture industry can be attributed to ACS Principal John Mason and past tutor Paul Plant who both encouraged and supported his career.

This course provides training for people working or wishing to work in horticulture with a particular emphasis on the design, development and management of productive natural garden systems. Graduates may find employment in either general horticulture, or in areas servicing permaculture or natural gardening (eg. Garden/system design, plant nurseries, teaching, consulting, etc).

• Half of the course is specific to Permaculture
• The other half is identical to other Horticulture courses with the code VHT002, providing a broad, general foundation in horticultural practices.

  Use the link below ('read more') to view more comprehensive details on this course.
  

The course provides a very strong foundation in general horticulture (350 hours) as well as specialised training in a chosen area such as propagation, turf, herbs, landscaping, organics, cut flowers, crops, arboriculture, permaculture or orrnamental horticulture.

If you want a career in horticulture, this is one of the best starting points.

• Established for over 15 years
• Adopted by horticultural colleges in Australia, UK, India, Bermuda and the USA.
• Graduates from this 700 hour certificate have a history of outstanding career success
• Reviewed and revised by professional horticulturists constantly to maintain a keep it in line with employer expectations and career needs globally.

What some of our students have said about studying with ACS:

• M. Tanzi   -I am glad I did the course and wish to do another one.
• B. Clarke   -I think ACS provides a wonderful service.
• M. Khaovong   -Studying with ACS was a wonderful experience. I have learnt alot and will take a new course soon.
• D. Kenyon  -I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found ACS to be wonderful in all aspects.

Work in Rural Horticulture

• Farms
• Rural Roadsides
• Parks and Reserves
• Conservation areas
• Minesites

Learn how Horticulture Can be Used as a Tool for Social Improvement

• Learn about garden planning, construction and planting
• Find a job, start a business, work in landscaping
• 150,000 words of unique course notes developed by our staff
• 200 hour self paced course
• Support from an international team of highly qualified horticulturists and landscape professionals based both in the UK and Australia

Develop your ability to describe the principles of using landscaping and other specialist garden elements in the garden, landscape construction, garden design, survey techniques, specialist garden and urban planting.

An extremely informative course in horticultural practice and principles, underpinned by sound scientific knowledge. All qualities sought by employers - world-wide.

This vocationally-oriented course comprises core studies in general horticulture plus specialised elective studies. The course is designed to lay a foundation for a long-term career in horticulture by developing the ability to identify a large range of plants, knowledge of essential horticultural principles and practices and practical skills in plant propagation, growth and care.

Students use this prestigious qualification to step up the horticultural ladder.

Student Comments (K.Eastwell): "I am very impressed by the standard of the core materials, by the professional and ever helpful and supportive admin ......" ..."I also like the green, environmentally sensitive approach to the course"

Use the link below ('read more') to view more comprehensive details on this course.

Foundation Certificate in Plant Growth for Horticulture Level 3  

Develop your ability to describe the principles of plant taxonomy, structure, function and growth, the management of plant health, and plant propagation.  

This course covers 4 units:

• The Plant Kingdom (Unit 1)
• Plant Nutrition, The Root Environment (Unit 2)
• Pests, Diseases and Weeds (Unit 3)
• Sexual and Asexual Propagation (Unit 4)

• Plant structure and function
• Plant identification
• Plant reproduction
• Physiological processes in plants including growth and development
• Understanding soils and roots
• Plant nutrition
• Managing plant health issues
• Propagation principles and practice

This is an ideal bundle of courses for anyone seeking to make a career of horticulture, and looking for a study program beyond certificate level.

Quite obviously, the more you study, the more you learn; and a greater breadth and depth of knowledge will also increase the scope of your employment opportunities.

• Exceptional tutors
• Opportunity to specialize
• Unique and comprehensive resources (Things you simply don't find at other horticulture schools)
• Outstanding international reputation and global recognition in this industry.

Student Comment: "I have found the course to be interesting and challenging, with great learning materials that really make you research the industry and get involved. It has been a great way to study because it has allowed me to work in the industry and study at the same time. I have found the online resources to be fantastic, the tutors feedback constructive and the fact that assignments can be submitted online makes the process so easy." Tom Wood, 2100HR Learning bundle in Horticultural Science course.

Horticulture has changed dramatically in recent decades and will no doubt continue to change rapidly; but there will always remain a need for horticulturalists while we continue to eat fruit and vegetables, play sport and use tree planting to improve the environment in which we live.

Graduates may find employment as

• A consultant
• A technician
• A teacher
• A research assistant.

Whatever is in vogue at different times throughout your career, this course will prepare you to move into and adapt to working in that part of the industry.

The demand for skilled landscapers and landscape designers is booming right now!

Gain a truly solid landscaping leearning from one of the most respected schools in this field.

Give yourself a truly competitive edge with this unique landscaping course. It not only covers all that you need to know about landscaping; it also provides you with essential and extensive training in horticulture fundamentals and workplace practices and requirements.

This is comprehensive training was developed by a team of highly reputable and qualified landscapers from Australia and the UK; headed by our principal John Mason (Editor Landscaping Your Backyard Magazine; author of Starting a Garden or Landscape Business -published by Simon and Schuster).