Amenity Horticulture II

Plan, design and manage grounds used for recreation facilities. Study from home, online or via correspondence. Learn about managing budgets, managing human resources and managing material resources.

Course Code: BHT325
Fee Code: SO3
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification
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Learn to Manage Amenity Landscapes

Who manages amenity horticulture sites? These days many different professions are involved in the management of natural and designed landscapes, including architects, town planners, engineers, landscape architects, environmental scientists, sport and recreation specialists, botanists, biologists, horticulturists and agronomists. Depending on the size and nature of the site, and the inputs required to manage that site, people from these (and possibly other) professions might be employed as specialist consultants, as site managers or as team leaders.

The management of a horticultural site typically includes the following tasks:

  1. Defining a mission, vision, goals and activities planning
  2. Ensuring that the above are reached or planned within a specified time frame
  3. Managing budgets
  4. Managing human resources
  5. Managing material resources
  6. Managing natural resources

What that means is that the manager must define where the organisation is going or, if that is already defined, how to get there with the resources available, in the time available. This usually means looking for more resources and solving problems related to the running of the amenity site together with the team that he or she is leading.


Lesson Structure

There are 7 lessons in this course:

  1. Adapting Amenity Horticulture to Changing Needs
    • What is an amenity horticulture site
    • Challenges of amenity horticulture: political, social, economic, environmental
    • Management of Amenity horticulture sites
    • Defining a mission, vision, goals and activities planning
    • Ensuring that the above are reached or planned within a specified timeframe
    • Managing budgets
    • Managing human resources
    • Managing material resources
    • Managing natural resources
    • Management options
    • Amenity sites; horticultural displays
    • Management framework
    • Types of organisational structures
    • Chains of command
  2. Macro Panning for Amenity Land Provision
    • Macro planning introduction
    • What to plan for
    • Principles of neighbourhood planning
    • What is a community
    • Principles of leisure facility planning, including sports grounds
  3. Resources and Information
    • Information sources
    • PBL project to create and present a report that identifies, describes and uses up-to-date information sources relating to changing influences on the amenity industry
  4. Social, Cultural and Environmental Impacts
    • Introduction
    • Comparing positive and negative aspects of different factors
    • Examples of environmentally driven management decisions
    • Cultural, social and environmental issues
  5. Economic Impacts
    • Financing amenity horticulture sites
    • What are we funding
    • Funding sources
    • Funding amounts
    • Human resource management
    • Volunteer management
    • Material resources management
  6. Community Involvement
    • Amenity horticulture and the community
    • Where might you find community participation
    • Community needs or wants: not always the same
    • What motivates community involvement
    • Community participation to develop parks and playgrounds
  7. Developing a Management Plan
    • PBL project to create and present a management plan for an amenity horticulture site.
    • Components of a management plan
    • What to do to make those plans come true
    • Staff morale and enthusiasm
    • Involving the community so that they take responsibility
    • Solving the budget problem without cutting on services

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

What You Will Do

  • Identify optional management approaches for amenity horticulture sites.
  • Determine varying features of optional management approaches for amenity horticulture sites.
  • Explain planning concepts and processes used for provision of amenity land.
  • Identify and describe up to date information sources relating to changing influences on the amenity industry.
  • Explain current social environmental issues as they evolve in a changing political climate, for example community involvement, sustainability, public/private partnerships.
  • Explain current economic issues as they evolve in a changing political climate, for example community involvement, sustainability, public/private partnerships.
  • Describe Methods of community involvement from user surveys and consultation exercises through to physical involvement using volunteer groups.
  • Explain the relationship between the amenity industry, government policies and communities.
  • Critically evaluate the means by which the community can be engaged with the amenity industry.
  • Determine the impact of community policies on local strategies.
  • Determine relevant issues (social, political, economic and environmental) that relate to management of amenity sites.
  • Develop an appropriate management plan for an amenity site.

Challenges to the Amenity Horticulture Industry

 

The amenity horticulture industry has evolved with the use of landscapes by humans. In this respect the amenity industry is as old as humans, since when we started living in organised communities, decisions were made in respect to the location of dwellings, foraging and hunting areas, and other areas of community life. The larger the community, the more complex landscape planning that evolved.

Nowadays the amenity industry faces political, social, economic and environmental challenges:

  • Political: Policies decided by different groups define the landscape, be it urban or rural. They can be out of consent, or imposed. They can be of local scope, or international. In general the tendency now is to have consensus though, as democratic values are promoted as a valuable political regime in many countries of the world and globalisation becomes increasingly dominant. Fortunately, with those also come sustainability principles which promote community participation.
  • Social: Demographics are a key factor in changing the landscape. In many areas population pressure is impacting negatively on amenity sites, while in other areas population growth has meant that poorly managed areas receive sufficient funding to be properly managed. One of the latest social trends affecting the amenity industry is the greater community involvement in the management of public land.
  • Economic: Funding is crucial for any amenity site to survive, be it urban or rural, private or public. Funding can be done by making some profit from the area visitors or, as in the case of public funding, through allocating tax funds to an area annually. There are mixed solutions, where private amenity sites are economically supported at a certain percentage, and where public sites are supported through private donations.
  • Environmental: Pollution, population pressure, erosion, climate change, loss of diversity and invasion by exotic species are just some of the factors affecting amenity horticulture sites throughout the world.

Amenity Landscapes include:

  • Sports grounds
  • Streetscapes
  • Public parks
  • Commercial car parks
  • The landscaped grounds of schools, shopping centres, industrial estates
  • Any other landscaped area that has an amenity or specific purpose to it.

How Can This Course Help You?

This course is the perfect addition to Amenity Horticulture I. Having already established your awareness and understanding of different areas of amenity horticulture, with this course you can learn about how to manage a range of different horticulture projects from public gardens to temporary displays. You'll find out how to plan and secure funding for projects, as well as how to oversee staff and volunteers to make the most use of the resources at hand. The course is perfect for people looking for positions of greater responsibility and is ideal for those wishing to work in:

  • Public horticulture projects
  • Private horticulture practices
  • Parks & gardens
  • General horticulture
  • Ecotourism
  • Garden conservation & restoration

Principal of ACS Distance Education, John Mason, is fellow of the CIH.
Principal of ACS Distance Education, John Mason, is fellow of the CIH.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
Member Nursery and Garden Industry Association.
Member Nursery and Garden Industry Association.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
ACS is a Silver Sponsor of the AIH; and students studying designated courses are given free student membership. ACS and it's principal have had an association with AIH since the 1980's
ACS is a Silver Sponsor of the AIH; and students studying designated courses are given free student membership. ACS and it's principal have had an association with AIH since the 1980's

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
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Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

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There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

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We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

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Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

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You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

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Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Jacinda Cole (Horticulturist)

B.Sc., Cert.Garden Design. Landscape Designer, Operations Manager, Consultant, Garden Writer.
She was operations manager for a highly reputable British Landscape firm (The Chelsea Gardener) before starting up her own landscaping firm. She spent three years working in our Gold Coast office, as a tutor and writer for Your Backyard (gardening magazine) which we produced monthly for a Sydney punlisher between 1999 and 2003. Since then, Jacinda has contributed regularly to many magazines, co authored several gardening books and is currently one of the "garden experts" writing regularly for the "green living" magazine "Home Grown".

John Mason (Horticulturist)

Parks Manager, Nurseryman, Landscape Designer, Garden Writer and Consultant.
Over 40 years experience; working in Victoria, Queensland and the UK.
He is one of the most widely published garden writers in the world.

Marie Beermann

Marie has more than 10 years experience in horticulture and education in both Australia and Germany. Marie's qualifications include B. Sc., M. Sc. Hort., Dip. Bus., Cert. Ldscp.

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