Landscaping apprenticeship pathway

Ways in

• •Direct: approach landscape construction companies yourself and ask for an apprenticeship
• •Group training organisation: the GTO employs you and places you with host businesses, which helps if one employer runs out of work
• •School-based: start part time while finishing Years 11 and 12, with work and training counting towards your schooling
• •Pre-apprenticeship: a Certificate II in Landscaping (AHC21624) or Certificate II in Horticulture (AHC20422) gives you basic skills and something to show employers
• •From labouring: many landscapers start as a labourer and get signed up once the boss sees they are reliable

Pre-apprenticeships and free options

A pre-apprenticeship is optional, not required. In Victoria the Certificate II in Horticulture (AHC20422) is on the Free TAFE list as a pre-apprenticeship course as at October 2026. NSW also runs fee-free pre-apprenticeship and pre-traineeship places. Check whether units you complete will count as credit towards your Cert III, because that can shorten your apprenticeship.

The training contract and probation

Once an employer agrees to take you on, an Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider sits down with you both, explains your rights and obligations, and helps lodge the training contract. The contract is then registered with your state or territory training authority. You and your employer also agree a training plan with your chosen TAFE or registered training organisation.

Every training contract has a probation period at the start. The length is set by your state, so ask your provider. During probation either side can end the contract more easily, so use it to show you turn up, listen and work hard.

Duration and competency-based progression

The nominal duration is usually 3 to 4 years and varies by state and provider. Melbourne Polytechnic runs the off the job training over 3 years, the Canberra Institute of Technology runs 3 years of day release followed by 12 months on the job, and TAFE SA lists 48 months. Progression is competency based, which means you finish once you have shown competence in every unit and your employer agrees, not just when time runs out. Adult apprentices with previous experience can often get recognition of prior learning and finish sooner.

The qualification

The trade qualification is the Certificate III in Landscape Construction (AHC30921), which is current on training.gov.au at Release 2 from May 2024. It replaced AHC30916. It has 17 units: 10 core units in set out, brick and block, stone, paving, concrete, retaining walls, drainage, soils, plants and plant establishment, plus 7 electives, which can include timber structures, irrigation, water features, tiling, costing and machinery.

Licences and tickets at the end

Finishing your apprenticeship gives you trade papers, not a contractor licence. If you want to run your own structural landscaping business, Queensland (QBCC, work over $3,300), NSW (residential work over $5,000) and Victoria (domestic building work over $10,000, registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission) all require a licence or registration, and SA licenses work like paving and retaining walls. WA registration usually only bites on permit work of $20,000 or more. Apprentices cannot get these licences until they have finished. Along the way, get your White Card (CPCWHS1001), first aid, and machinery units like RIIMPO318 for skid steers and RIIMPO320 for excavators.

What comes after

• •Leading hand or foreman running a crew
• •Specialising in machinery, irrigation, stonework, water features or green roofs and walls
• •Certificate IV in Landscape Construction Management (AHC42021) for estimating, costing and running projects
• •Diploma of Landscape Construction Management (AHC52021) or Diploma of Landscape Design (AHC50621)
• •Your own business once you hold the right state licence
• •Moving into council, parks or maintenance roles for steadier hours

Money support while you train

Landscape Gardener is on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List from 1 April 2026 in the Housing Construction Apprenticeship stream. Eligible full-time apprentices may get the Key Apprenticeship Program Apprentice Incentive of up to $10,000 paid in instalments, plus the Australian Apprentice Training Support Payment of up to $2,500 over the first two years. The Priority List is being changed from 1 January 2027, so your Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider should confirm what you can get when you sign.