Advanced Certificate In Applied Management (Crops)

Course Code	VBS001
Fee Code	AC
Number of Modules	8
Duration (approx)	900 hours

This Advanced Certificate develops both the skills required to manage a horticultural farm (eg. Market Garden, Orchard), and also the knowledge in the identification, growing, processing and marketing crops and crop related products. This course involves seven units, plus a 200 hr workplace project.

CORE UNITS Click on each module for more details

Office Practices
Develops basic office skills covering use of equipment, communication systems (telephone, fax, etc) and office procedures such as filing, security, workplace organisations, etc. 

Business Operations

Develops knowledge of basic business operations and procedures (eg. types of businesses, financial management, business analysis, staffing, productivity, etc) and the skills to develop a 12 month business plan.

 

Management

Develops knowledge of management structures, terminology, supervision, recruitment and workplace health and safety.

 

Marketing Foundations.

Develops a broad understanding of marketing and specific skills in writing advertisements, undertaking market research, developing an appropriate marketing plan and selling.

STREAM MODULES

The three specialist units include:

1. Outdoor Plant Production

2. Protected Plant Production

3. Another Crops Module chosen from the following options:

• Cut Flower Production
• Fruit Production
• Commercial Vegetable Production
• Nut Production
• Mushroom Production
• Berry Fruit Production
• Viticulture

Fees do not include exam fees

 

Selected Module Outlines

Outdoor Plant Production

This course has ten lessons.

1. Crop Production Systems  To explain different cropping systems and their appropriate application for the production of different types of crops
2. Organic Crop Production  To evaluate and explain organic plant production, and the requirements in at least two different countries, to achieve organic certification.
3. Soils and Nutrition  To understand the function of soils and plant nutrition in outdoor cropping systems.
4. Nursery Stock Production   Describe the commercial production of a range of nursery stock.
5. Tree Fruit Production   Describe the commercial production of a range of tree fruit crops.
6. Soft Fruits Production   To develop an understanding of the techniques used to produce a range of soft fruits.
7. Vegetable Production   To develop an understanding of the techniques used to grow a range of vegetables.
8. Cut Flower Production   To develop an understanding of the commercial production of outdoor cut flowers.
9. Herbs, Nuts and Miscellaneous Crops   To develop an understanding of the commercial production of herbs, nuts and other miscellaneous crops.
10. Crop Production Risk Assessment    To understand the risks that may occur in outdoor crop production.

Protected Plant Production

This course consists of 10 Lessons:

1. Structures For Protected Cropping
2. Environmental Control
3. Cladding Materials And Their Properties
4. Irrigation
5. Nursery Nutrition
6. Relationship Between Production Techniques And Horticultural Practices
7. Horticultural Management In A Greenhouse: Pests And Diseases
8. Harvest & Post Harvest Technology
9. Greenhouse Plants
10. Risk Assessment

INDUSTRY PROJECT OR WORK EXPERIENCE

This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award.

There are two options available to you to satisfy this requirement:

Alternative 1.

If you work in the industry that you have been studying; you may submit a reference from your employer, in an effort to satisfy this industry (ie. workplace project) requirement; on the basis of RPL (ie. recognition for prior learning), achieved through your current and past work experience.

The reference must indicate that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.

Alternative 2.

If you do not work in the relevant industry, you need to undertake a project as follows.

Procedure for a Workplace Project

This project is a major part of the course involving the number of hours relevant to the course (see above). Although the course does not contain mandatory work requirements, work experience is seen as highly desirable.

This project is based on applications in the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

Students will design this project in consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide suitable references from employers that show they have already fulfilled the requirements of this project.

For courses that involve more than 100 hours, more than one workplace project topic may be selected. For example, 200 hours may be split into two projects each of 100 hours. This will offer the student better scope to fulfill the needs of their course and to meet the number of hours required. Alternatively, the student may wish to do one large project with a duration of 200 hours.

Students will be assessed on how well they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their negotiations with their tutor. During each 100 hours of the project, the students will present three short progress reports. These progress reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission. The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.

If the student wishes to do one large 200 hour report, then only three progressive reports will be needed (however the length of each report will be longer).

This course develops both the skills required to manage a horticultural farm (eg. Market Garden, Orchard), and also the knowledge in the identification, growing, processing and marketing crops and crop related products. This course involves seven units, plus a 200 hr workplace project. There are four core units common to all streams of this Advanced Certificate (ie.  Management, Business Operations, Office Practices and Marketing Foundations), and three specialist units relating to crop production.
This course is internationally accredited through I.A.R.C.