Author: Annette Irish FAIH – Chair of Fellows, Australian Institute of Horticulture
Copyright November 2025
Executive Summary
The Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH) presents this discussion paper to evaluate the effectiveness of the current Competency-Based Training (CBT) model in meeting the needs of Australia’s horticulture industry. Despite its critical role in sustainability, public health, and environmental management, horticulture remains underrepresented in workforce and education policy, including the absence of dedicated ANZSIC codes.
While CBT aims to produce job-ready graduates, implementation challenges—including narrow adoption of competency packages, inconsistent assessments, limited specialist training, and inadequate funding—undermine its potential. This paper calls for urgent reform, emphasizing broader competency offerings, national access to specialist educators, funding models prioritizing quality, and genuine industry collaboration.
Industry Overview
Horticulture, also known as Landscape, Lifestyle, Ornamental, or Amenity Horticulture, is a diverse sector founded on the science of plant classification, soil science, and plant health. Traditionally, the industry comprises seven key sectors:
- Arboriculture
- Floriculture and Production Horticulture
- Interiorscaping
- Landscape Design and Maintenance
- Nursery (Retail and Production)
- Parks and Gardens
- Turf Management
Emerging areas such as Environmental and Sustainable Horticulture further highlight the sector’s evolving complexity.
The industry supports varied career paths—from arborists and horticultural consultants to therapeutic horticulturists and interiorscape designers—requiring cross-disciplinary expertise in irrigation, machinery, design, and plant and soil care. Globally recognised and allied with numerous industries, horticulture offers respected and in-demand career opportunities.
For instance, a review of SEEK ® job listings between 1 May and 26 May 2025 revealed 381 horticultural listings across skill levels, underscoring workforce demand.
Recognising horticulture as a distinct industry through dedicated ANZSIC codes is essential for accurate policy, funding, and workforce planning.
Competency-Based Training (CBT) in Horticulture
CBT is internationally recognised for producing job-ready graduates by focusing on competency mastery rather than time served. However, feedback from stakeholders over the last 2 decades indicates that world-wide horticulture implementation is falling short of industry needs.
Key Considerations:
Purpose and Industry Alignment
- CBT is intended to develop skilled graduates aligned with workplace expectations.
- Horticulture’s complexity requires curricula that extend beyond entry-level tasks to higher-order competencies.
Flexibility and Limitations
- A narrow focus on task-based learning limits creativity and problem-solving development.
- Self-paced learning and recognition of prior learning (RPL) offer flexibility through open timeframes but may slow the supply of highly skilled technicians.
Challenges
- Inconsistent assessment standards (based solely on competency) across providers compromise qualification credibility.
- Limited access to specialist training hinders advanced skill development.
- Minimal industry engagement creates a disconnect between training outcomes and workplace realities.
Funding Gaps
- Horticulture’s resource-intensive nature demands national funding support for tools, equipment, and facilities.
- Adequate funding for AQF Level III and above to reduce financial barriers.
- A federally funded pool of specialist educators should address advanced technical training needs nationwide.
- Funding frameworks should prioritise delivery quality, assessment standards, and resource provision rather than administrative efficiency or completion metrics as forced upon providers and educators.
Recommendations
To deliver a skilled, future-ready horticultural workforce, AIH recommends:
- Expanded Competency Offerings: Broaden the range of competencies to reflect horticulture’s full scope.
- National Access to Specialist Training: Ensure advanced technical education is available to all regions, especially at Certificate level IV.
- Robust Funding Models: Allocate resources to support equipment, facilities, and educator expertise.
- Industry Collaboration: Engage horticultural specialists, employers, students, and professional associations throughout curriculum design and delivery.
- Standardised Assessment and Curriculum: Develop nationally consistent assessment and curricula to ensure portability and credibility.
Conclusion
Australia’s horticulture sector requires a robust, agile, and collaborative vocational training system.
CBT can fulfil its potential only when paired with appropriate funding, rigorous curriculum design, standardised assessments, specialist educators, and meaningful industry engagement.
Policymakers must partner closely with horticultural professionals to build a system capable of supporting this dynamic and essential industry.
Author: Annette Irish FAIH – Chair of Fellows, Australian Institute of Horticulture
Copyright 2025
