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2 Natural and applied sciences and related occupations > Landscape and Horticultural Technicians and Specialists (NOC 2225)

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Landscape and Horticultural Technicians and Specialists (NOC 2225)


Description

This unit group includes those who survey and assess landscapes; draw sketches and build models of landscape designs; construct and maintain gardens, parks, golf courses and other landscaped environments; advise clients on issues related to horticulture; breed, cultivate and study plants; and treat injured and diseased trees and plants. They are employed by landscape designers and contractors, lawn service and tree care establishments, golf courses, nurseries and greenhouses, municipal, provincial and national parks, or they may be self-employed.

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Example Titles

  • arborist
  • golf course superintendent
  • greenskeeper
  • horticultural technician
  • horticulture specialist
  • horticulturist
  • hydroponics technician
  • landscape architectural technician
  • landscape gardener
  • landscape technician
  • landscaper
  • lawn care specialist
  • tree service technician

      >> View all titles

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Classified Elsewhere

  • Biological Technologists and Technicians (2221)
  • Botanists (in 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists)
  • Forestry Technologists and Technicians (2223)
  • Landscape Architects (2152)
  • Landscaping and Grounds Maintenance Contractors and Managers (8255)
  • Nursery and Greenhouse Operators and Managers (8254)
  • Nursery and Greenhouse Workers (8432)
  • Supervisors, Landscape and Horticulture (8256)

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Duties

The following is a summary of the main duties for some occupations in this unit group:

  • Arborists and tree service technicians examine trees and shrubs to diagnose problems and disease, and apply various treatments such as pruning, spraying, repairing damaged areas and injecting with treatment solution.
  • Golf course superintendents direct crews who maintain the health and appearance of golf courses and their surrounding landscapes, plant and move trees, and apply fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides.
  • Horticulturists plan and co-ordinate the growth and use of plants for landscaping, ornamental uses and other purposes.
  • Landscape designers and landscape architectural technicians and technologists survey and assess sites, prepare drawings, sketches and reports and perform other duties to assist landscape architects in designing landscaped environments.
  • Landscape gardeners plant and maintain private and public lawns and gardens.
  • Landscapers plan and construct landscaped environments which may include trees, shrubberies, lawns, fences, decks, patios and other landscape structures.
  • Lawn care specialists visit clients, assess the health of lawns, and apply fertilizer, pesticides and other lawn care products.

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Skills

Landscape and horticultural technicians and specialists should have a keen interest in plants and gardens and the following skills and abilities:

  • creative flair
  • good communication skills (written and spoken)
  • good observation skills and an eye for detail
  • good mechanical skills and scientific understanding
  • computer skills
  • good health, eyesight and colour vision
  • physical strength and stamina
  • ability to work in all kinds of weather
  • ability to work independently or with others.

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Employment Requirements

  • Completion of a university or college program in agronomy, arboriculture, horticulture, landscaping, landscape design or landscape technology may be required.
  • Experience as a landscape and grounds maintenance labourer is usually required for golf course superintendents, landscape gardeners and landscapers.
  • Completion of apprenticeship programs may be required for horticulturists, arboriculturists and landscape gardeners.
  • Individuals who provide tree care services for compensation must obtain accreditation from the Manitoba Arborists Training and Examination Program or the International Society of Arboriculture Arborist Certification Program. Upon successful completion of this course, candidates must make application to Manitoba Conservation, to obtain their Manitoba Arborists Licence.
  • Individuals who apply pesticides or fertilizers for compensations must obtain a Manitoba Pesticide Applicators Licence from Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Rural Initiatives.

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Terms & Conditions

Most landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists perform many of their duties in an office environment, but some also spend most of their time outdoors or in greenhouses. Much of the work is seasonal; summer being the peak time when the job may require working days, evenings, weekends, and holidays. Physical fitness is an important requirement due to extended periods of time spent bending, lifting, shovelling, and operating equipment such as lawn mowers, chain saws, and chippers. Those employed in this occupation may work with pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals.

Most landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists are full-time employees (91%), but there is also some self-employment (16%). Seventy-three percent of workers in this occupational group are male.

Although employment in this occupation is primarily seasonal, the annual earnings reported below represent the prevailing wages or salaries for full time employment for the full year.

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Earnings

$25,100 per annum - starting

$34,100 per annum - average

$54,800 per annum - high

Earnings are reviewed annually or more frequently if new information becomes available.

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Education / Training

  • To become a certified landscape technician in Manitoba, you must complete an apprenticeship that combines on-the-job (practical) experience and in-school (technical) training. To be an apprentice in this trade, you must be at least 16 years of age. First, find an employer who will apprentice you and sign an apprenticeship agreement. Then contact the Apprenticeship Branch to formalize your apprenticeship agreement with your employer. As you learn the skills of your trade, you are paid a wage that increases over the length of your apprenticeship.
  • To enter your apprenticeship program and succeed, you should have Grade 12 or equivalent high school academic standing. The apprenticeship for a landscape technician is four levels. Training and in-school instruction is a minimum 1500 hours per level. About 80 per cent of your time is spent learning practical on-the-job skills, while earning a wage under the supervision of a journeyperson. The remaining 20 per cent consists of learning the theoretical and technical aspects of your trade.
  • If you are already working in this trade and wish to become a certified journeyperson, you can receive credit for previous job experience and training by passing a Trades Qualification exam from the Apprenticeship Branch. Apprentices whose entrance readiness is less than that required, must take appropriate upgrading.
  • Red River College offers a 30-month diploma program in Greenspace Management. This program focuses on the management of landscaped areas such as parks, golf courses, athletic fields, botanical gardens and cemeteries.
  • Assiniboine Community College offers a Prairie Horticulture certificate program through distance delivery by a western Canadian consortium of colleges and universities including the University of Manitoba, the University of Saskatchewan, Olds College in Alberta. Students may specialize in Fruit and Vegetable Production, Greenhouse Crop Production, Landscaping and Arboriculture or Nursery Crop Production.
  • Assinioboine Community College is the approved workshop provider for Manitoba for the Saskatchewan Master Gardner Certificate Program offered by the University of Saskatchewan. You can choose to specialize in 3 areas, Food Production, Landscape, and Controlled Environment.
  • Assiniboine Community College offers a course in Integrated Pest Management for Golf Course/Landscape in Manitoba through distance delivery.
  • The Manitoba Arborists Training and Examination Program is offered jointly by the University of Manitoba and Assiniboine Community College.
  • The University of Manitoba offers evening courses in gardening and landscaping through the department of Continuing Education.
  • The University of Manitoba offers a 3-year Bachelor of Environmental Design B.E.D. program which consists of two foundation years and a third-year option in Landscape Architecture.
  • The University of Manitoba offers a Master of Landscape Architecture.
  • Some high schools in Manitoba offer a program in Landscaping and Gardening.

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Career Paths

Beginning landscape gardeners often enter the industry during the busy summer months as labourers or apprentices.

Experienced landscape technicians may advance to supervisor, manager or head landscape gardener positions, or start their own businesses.

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Outlook

Employment prospects for landscape and horticultural technicians and specialists are expected to be good in the period 2010 - 2014. The number employed in Manitoba in 2010 is estimated at 345.

Employment in parks and golf course maintenance across the province is expected to remain fairly stable. The construction of new homes and businesses which influences employment for members of this occupational group is expected to remain fairly steady through the forecast period. An ageing population should stimulate demand for private lawn care services. An increase in development of landscaped condominiums should also increase the need for landscape maintenance work. There is a high turnover rate among seasonal workers in this occupational group.

A small but significant portion of this group work as arborists. A growing public awareness and concern for the environment should create some demand for arborists to develop green spaces and maintain urban forests. The investment in hydroelectricity generation and transmission projects in northern Manitoba will create more work for utility arborists whose specialized skills are required to clear vegetation in close proximity to electrical structures and remove trees that could come in contact with energized power lines.

Jobs for landscape and horticultural technicians and specialists are found throughout the province. Across industries, the greatest concentration is in Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (39%), followed by Administrative and Support Services (25%), Public Administration (chiefly localgovernment - 15%), and Farms (10%).

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Employment by Age Group

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Employment by Industry

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Employment by Region

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Employment by Gender

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Employment by Aboriginal Self-Identification

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Employment by Visible Minority

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Please Note - The source for above charts is the 2006 Census.



Professional Associations, Unions, and Regulatory Bodies...

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