Landscaping courses in Australia: Cert III, costs and where to study

The qualification

The trade qualification is the Certificate III in Landscape Construction (AHC30921). It is current on training.gov.au at Release 2, published in May 2024, and it replaced AHC30916. You need 17 units: 10 core units, 1 safety elective (either AHCWHS302 or the construction WHS unit CPCCWHS2001), 3 from a landscape elective list, and 3 more from that list or other endorsed packages. Do not confuse it with the Certificate III in Horticulture (AHC30722) or the Certificate III in Parks and Gardens (AHC31024), which are plant and maintenance focused.

What you will actually learn

• •Setting out a site from plans with pegs, string lines and levels (AHCLSC311)
• •Building paved areas from base preparation to jointing (AHCLSC316)
• •Building retaining walls, including footings, drainage and backfill (AHCLSC319)
• •Brick and block walls, steps and features
• •Stone walls, features and stone cladding
• •Forming, pouring and finishing concrete paths and features
• •Installing subsoil and surface drainage
• •Testing and improving soil for gardens and turf
• •Plant knowledge and planting programs that actually survive
• •Electives such as timber decks and pergolas, irrigation, water features, outdoor tiling, costing a job and operating machinery

Year by year: how the training usually runs

Every employer and RTO sequences this differently, and completion is competency based, so treat this as a rough guide, not a rule. Some apprentices move faster with prior experience and some take longer because of the work their employer does.

• •First year: TAFE covers safety, site set out, soils and plant basics. On the job you dig, barrow, compact bases, lay turf, clean up and start helping with string lines and levels
• •Second year: TAFE moves into paving, concrete and drainage. On the job you start laying pavers and pouring small slabs under supervision and may begin machine training
• •Third year: TAFE covers retaining walls, brick, block and stone, plus electives like timber structures or irrigation. On the job you run sections of a job, read plans and set levels with less help
• •Fourth year, where your state runs four years: you finish electives such as costing and water features and get signed off. On the job you are close to leading hand work, running small jobs and helping the boss price them

How enrolment actually works

First you need an employer. Once they agree to take you on, an Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider helps you both sign the training contract, which is registered with your state or territory training authority. Your employer then picks a TAFE or RTO, and you agree a training plan that sets out which units you will do and when.

Some TAFEs, including TAFE NSW, Melbourne Polytechnic and the Canberra Institute of Technology, also offer the course to people who are not apprentices, but you usually need to be working in the industry or have access to landscaping work for assessment.

What it costs, state by state (as at October 2026)

• •NSW: fee-free for apprentices under Smart and Skilled, including school-based apprentices. The NSW Government covers the student fee, and the scheme runs to 30 June 2027
• •VIC: not on the Free TAFE list. Melbourne Polytechnic publishes a government subsidised tuition fee of $6,850 ($1,370 concession), with materials and amenities taking the total to $7,165 ($1,605 concession). Other Victorian TAFEs set their own fees, so check the live page
• •QLD: free under Free Apprenticeships for Under 25s if you start by 30 June 2027. If you are 25 or older and start between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2027, Free Construction Apprenticeships for Over 25s lists Landscape Tradesperson, but only at TAFE Queensland or CQUniversity. Otherwise you pay a co-contribution fee to a Skills Assure Supplier
• •WA: South Metropolitan TAFE lists it as low fee and half price, with an annual fee cap of $400 for people aged 15 to 24 or concession holders and $1,200 for everyone else
• •SA: TAFE SA lists it under Fee Free TAFE, with limited places. If those places run out, the subsidised fee is $4,005 to $4,370 and the full fee is $7,747 to $8,453
• •TAS: TasTAFE lists 2027 tuition fees of $3,200 subsidised or $640 concession
• •ACT: the Canberra Institute of Technology lists an ACT apprentice subsidised fee of $5,800, a full fee of $16,600 and an Australian School-based Apprenticeship fee of $350
• •NT: there is no NT public provider on the training.gov.au delivery list for AHC30921, so NT apprentices train with national private RTOs. Fees depend on the provider and NT funding, so check with your Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider

Who pays

Under the Gardening and Landscaping Services Award (MA000101), your employer must reimburse you for training fees charged by the RTO for prescribed courses and for prescribed textbooks, or pay them directly to the RTO. Clause 15.5 also covers paid time at training and some travel costs for block release.

If you are on a different award or an enterprise agreement, check that document, because the rules may differ. Fair Work can tell you which award applies. Fees for non-apprentice students are usually paid by the student.

Where to study

• •NSW: TAFE NSW, and the Canberra Institute of Technology for some NSW border areas
• •VIC: Melbourne Polytechnic (Fairfield), Holmesglen, Box Hill Institute, Chisholm, Bendigo Kangan, The Gordon, South West TAFE, Federation University and GOTAFE
• •QLD: TAFE Queensland and a range of private RTOs
• •WA: South Metropolitan TAFE (Murdoch), North Metropolitan TAFE and South Regional TAFE
• •SA: TAFE SA (Urrbrae)
• •TAS: TasTAFE (Alanvale, Burnie and Clarence)
• •ACT: Canberra Institute of Technology (Bruce)
• •NT: national private RTOs with NT on their delivery scope
• •To see every provider, search AHC30921 on training.gov.au and open the RTOs tab, then filter by your state

Doing it without an apprenticeship

You can do the course as a fee-paying or subsidised non-apprentice student at some TAFEs, and experienced workers can use recognition of prior learning. Without an employer, though, you miss out on wages, award protections and fee reimbursement, and you still need real site work to be assessed in most units. NSW licensing also says apprentices and trainees cannot be licensed until they finish, and every state licence wants proof of experience, not just a certificate. For most people, the apprenticeship is the smarter path. Studying first only makes sense if you already have landscaping work or want to change careers with some skills under your belt.