Horticulture Technician

Foundation Certificate Program

Thinking about a career working with plants? With hands-on experiences in beautiful gardens, the VIU Horticulture Technician Foundation Certificate program is one of the best ways to get started in a horticultural career.

Learn in VIU gardens

Your campus will be the G.R. Paine Horticultural Training Centre on a 32-acre rural site, a 10-minute drive from the main VIU campus. You'll also study at the world-famous Milner Gardens & Woodland, a 70-acre estate in Qualicum Beach.

The G.R Paine Horticulture Training Centre has classrooms, labs and work areas. You’ll also train in the production greenhouses and site landscapes, making hanging baskets, poinsettias and food crops.

The program covers:

• botany, plant identification and propagation
• greenhouse and nursery crop design and production
• pest management and soil management
• landscape design, construction and maintenance

In the summer you’ll take part in a paid practicum to gain experience working in the industry.

Outcomes

When you graduate, you get a VIU Horticulture Foundation Certificate, a level 2 Landscape Horticulture certificate and you’ll be qualified to take on many roles in the horticulture industry. If you want to continue studying horticulture you can choose the apprenticeship stream and advance toward a Red Seal in Landscape Horticulture, or you can pursue a diploma or degree in horticulture through university transfer.