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Otago Polytechnic

Auckland , North Island ,New Zealand

New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Nursery Production) (Level 3) and New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Production (Fruit Production) (Level 4)

Gain the fundamental skills and knowledge required of horticulturists in orchards, vineyards, nurseries or any other major commercial operation with this hands-on programme.

Employment opportunities are extremely diverse in this industry and, with motivation and hard work, you may find yourself working as an irrigation technician, fruit grower, plant propagator, vineyard supervisor or even at the head of your own business!

This qualification is a 50-50 mix of theoretical and practical studies and your learning will be based in the campus plant nursery, modern glasshouses, and the ten-hectare Otago Polytechnic crop production facility where wine grapes and cherries are grown. You will also undertake work experience within Central Otago's extensive horticulture industry, enabling you to develop real-world skills and forge important relationships. 

You'll graduate with both the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3) (Nursery Production)  and the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Production (Level 4) (Fruit Production).

Campus Information

Cromwell

Intakes

  • Feb
  • July

Application Processing Time in Days: 30

Application Process

Days

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Career planning and decision making
Career is a whole of life concept and not just what you are currently doing as a ‘job’. It is the Interrelatedness of all things currently in your life – study, leisure, family, friends, voluntary and/or community work, and how you fit it all together.

Career Planning

There are so many choices and options available and this can make planning your career quite difficult. The new 'world of work' requires you to be in charge of creating your own career; managing it will be a life-long journey.

Your most important asset is yourself. Therefore, the more you invest in yourself in the form of skills and knowledge development, self-awareness, networking and gaining relevant experiences, the more you expand your opportunities.

Self-assessment
Self-assessment or self-understanding is the process of knowing yourself. Before you can decide what you want to be, you first have to define who you are.

As you continue to develop both personally and professionally throughout your career, it will be necessary for you to re-assess yourself periodically in relation to your career goal provider.

Career Exploration - The World of Work
It is important to explore the 'world of work' before making a career decision to ensure that you are well informed of the work environment. Knowing where the jobs are and how easy it is to get them will influence your choices. Being aware of the obstacles or trends in the world of work will help you make career enhancing decisions to enable you to transition into successful employment.

Career pathways
From the information from your research select the one job that most appeals to you. Taking into consideration all of the information that you have gathered so far about yourself, and any other information, identify why you have chosen one particular path over the other. You could do this by drawing up a table where you list advantages and disadvantages.

Developing your action plan
Once you know what direction your career goal is in, you need to develop a career action plan. A career action plan helps to clarify directions and decision making.

Put the plan into action
The final step in the career plan is Deliver. Now you need to put your plan into action and make it happen. Start the journey towards a career you will love.

PSW Opportunity

  • During study, all students on a student visa can work up to 20 hours per week during semester and full time during vacations.
  • After completing Level 7 Bachelor’s Degree or Higher Qualification, a student will get a three years open post-study work visa.
  • After completing Level 8 Post Graduate courses of 1 year, students get 1 year PSW.

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

NCEA Level 2
Equivalent entry requirements for certificates and diplomas

At least 55% average across 4 academic subjects in CBSE, HSC or ISC with at least 60% in English, or equivalent in other boards

NCEA Level 3
Equivalent entry requirements for bachelors' degrees and selected diplomas

At least a 70% average over 4 academic subjects in CBSE, HSC, or ISC with at least 60% in English, or equivalent in other boards.

Certificate at Level 3
General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5.

Certificate at Level 4
General or Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5.

Certificate or Diploma at Level 5
Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5.

Certificate or Diploma at Level 6, Diploma or degree at Level 7, Graduate Certificate or Diploma at Level 7
Academic score of 6 with no band score lower than 5.5.

Post-graduate Diploma or Post-graduate Certificate at Level 8, Bachelor Honours Degree at Level 8, Master’s Degree at Level 9, Doctoral Degree at Level 10
Academic score of 6.5 with no band score lower than 6.