Garden Designer

The purpose of this part-qualification is to prepare a learner to function as a Garden Designer. A Garden Designer responds to the homeowner's needs and the environment. Garden Designers establish feasible gardens through conceptualising sustainable garden designs using artistic flair and creative problem-solving. Typical graduate attributes include creativity, problem-solving, and artistic flair. A qualified learner will be able to: • Gather information regarding a client brief, site potential, and parameters to inform the design concept of simple residential sites and food gardens that pose limited site complexities and design challenges. • Visualise and draft a feasible ornamental and/or food garden design concept by combining creative, artistic, and problem-solving skills. • Produce a finalised ornamental or food garden design solution through detailed development of the approved concept.

The Garden Designer is a part-qualification of the Higher Occupational Certificate: Landscape Designer. This part-qualification will enable learners to exit at an appropriate level with sufficient skills to exit learning and earn an income as a Garden Designer, as well as providing a seamless entry into the Higher Occupational Certificate: Landscape Designer. It, therefore, also reduces the timeframe of learning before a learner can become employable. Garden design is critical in bringing about healthy and sustainable outdoor spaces and places for human use and enjoyment. The world's population is increasing, and the need for green, well-designed open spaces at the garden, landscape, park, and city level is ever increasing. In line with the increasing pressures on the environment and natural resources, it is becoming imperative that gardens are designed responsibly and sustainably. When considering the above, the need for and benefit to society and the benefit to the landscaping and gardening sector become clear. The benefits communities and schools may gain from food and vegetable gardens are often overlooked but is growing in popularity and contributing to sustainability. Economically, appealing gardening can increase property and resale values, lower energy costs, improve business and sales, and create positive perceptions for areas. This part-qualification aims to equip learners with the competence and knowledge to design an ornamental or food garden effectively and efficiently, thereby producing sufficient information in the form of plans and bills of quantities in order for the garden design to be constructed. In addition, learners will be able to provide customers with a garden design that meets the needs and requirements of the client functionally and appealingly. Typical learners include school leavers, graduates from learning institutions, and persons employed in the horticultural industries with experience in landscape construction and/or maintenance with a keen interest in wanting to design outdoor spaces. This part qualification is a stepping stone in providing appropriate entry into the Higher Occupational Certificate: Landscape Design. Sectors within the landscaping and gardening industry offering possible employment opportunities typically include the following: • Garden design industry i.e. construction and maintenance where designs are required for residential properties. • Communities wanting to establish food gardens. • Self-employed in a niche market. Learners can be employed as Community Garden Designers and Facilitators, Garden Designers, and Technical Advisors. This part-qualification forms an integral step in the career and learning path for persons employed or wishing to build a career in the landscaping industry. It is one of several qualifications and may build on the Landscape Worker, Landscape Assistant, Horticulture Team Leader, and Landscaping Supervisor. This part-qualification may prepare learners for further studies in landscape design, architecture, and technology. Furthermore, to clarify the parameters between the two and appropriate exit skills for the parent and part qualifications, the following applies: • Landscape design parameters refer to residential landscapes which may pose some design challenges (referring to site conditions, climatic challenges, and existing infrastructure), which could include accommodation of multiple functions and site features requiring special consideration. • Garden designs contain sufficient information enabling construction from the drawings. Garden design parameters refer to home gardens of limited challenges, featuring typical household use and limited to single use and food gardens, excluding earthworks or earth shaping.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): RPL for Access to Training/Exemption. Learners may use the RPL process to gain access to training opportunities for a programme of learning, qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme if they do not meet the formal minimum entry requirements for admission. RPL assessment provides an alternative access route into a programme of learning, qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme. Such an RPL assessment may be developed, moderated, and conducted by the accredited Skills Development Provider which offers that specific qualification/part qualification/skills programme. Such an assessment must ensure that the learner is able to display the equivalent level of competencies required for access based on the NQF level descriptors. For exemption from modules through RPL, learners who have gained the stipulated competencies of the modules of a programme of learning, qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme through any means of formal, informal, or non-formal learning and/or work experience may be awarded credits towards relevant modules, and gaps identified for training, which is then concluded. RPL for Access to the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) or Final Integrated Supervised Assessment (FISA). Learners who have gained the stipulated competencies of the modules of a programme of learning, qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme through any means of formal, informal, or non-formal learning and/or work experience, may be awarded credits towards relevant modules and gaps identified for training, which is then concluded. A valid Statement of Results is required for admission to the EISA in which confirmation of achievement is provided that all internal assessment criteria for all modules in the related curriculum document have been achieved. For a Skills Programme, the accredited Skills Development Provider (SDP) must ensure all modular competency requirements are met prior to the FISA and keep a record of such evidence. After successfully completing the EISA/FISA, RPL learners will be issued the QCTO certificate for the qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme. Quality Partners are responsible for ensuring the RPL mechanism and process for qualifications and part-qualification is approved by the QCTO. Entry Requirement: Any NQF Level 3 qualification.

• Establish the needs of the client and site features to inform the ornamental or food garden design solution.
• Explore hard and soft landscape materials and determine suitability according to the need and site conditions.
• Collate and synthesise site information within its context and the impact on the ornamental or food garden design solution.
• Produce the ornamental and food garden design solution which takes cognisance of the site parameters, client needs, and aesthetic requirements.
• Communicate and present outcomes of agreements, site analysis, the design solution, and technical information using visual and written formats.