Careers

Landscape Technician

A landscape technician understands and applies the design, maintenance, construction and installation of soft and hard landscaping. They are required to have a knowledge of plant botany, able to identify plants, disease and know how to apply the principles of plant production.

What do I do?

You should have a keen interest in plants and gardens. As well, you should like work that calls upon your creative skills.

A landscape technician studies, grows, tends and transplants flowers, shrubbery, trees and other plants, and performs various landscape construction duties. Many work mainly outdoors on a seasonal basis, landscaping grounds around commercial, industrial, residential and other establishments. Another important job requirement is the study of conditions affecting plant growth. Also, because many plants are grown in controlled environments, landscape technicians often ply their trade indoors in greenhouses.

How do I start?

While you're still in high school, you can begin an apprenticeship program in this trade as a Senior Years Apprentice and earn both high school and apprenticeship credits at the same time. After high school graduation, many Senior Years apprentices continue in regular, full-time apprenticeship programs.

To enter the Landscape Technician apprenticeship program full-time, you must be at least 16 years old. You should have completed Senior 4 or have an equivalent academic standing.

Length of Program

How does apprenticeship training work?

You must have a qualified employer who is willing to train you as an apprentice. To register in the apprenticeship program, you and your employer complete an application form together and submit it to the Apprenticeship Branch. Once the application is approved, formal apprenticeship training begins under the supervision of a certified journeyperson.

The apprenticeship consists of four levels of both on-the-job practical experience and some in-school technical training. (Work hours and school time must total at least 1500 hours per level.) If you have successfully completed related courses of study or work experience you may be eligible for advanced standing in the apprenticeship program.

The Apprenticeship Branch arranges your classroom technical training. When you go to school, you pay a small portion of the tuition and are responsible for the cost of any required books and supplies. Most apprentices are eligible for employment insurance (EI) when they go to school.

When you successfully complete all levels of training, and score at least 70 per cent on your final examination, you receive a provincial Certificate of Qualification confirming your status as a certified journeyperson.

For more detailed information on apprenticeship training in this trade, check the Apprenticeship web site at : http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/aet/apprent/index.htm

How much do I make?

Wage Rate: $15.00 (Approximate, not including benefits).

The Manitoba Landscape Technician Trade Regulation states that apprentices while not attending technical school shall receive no less than the provincial minimum wage plus:

  • 10 per cent during level one
  • 25 per cent during level two
  • 35 per cent during level three
  • 45 per cent during level four

Apprentices who work for unionized employers are entitled to the applicable wage-rate specified by the collective agreement-if this rate exceeds the wage minimum listed above. Most start out at about $14,200. With experience, the average wage is $23,800. Employers provide holiday and vacation pay and may also offer other benefits such as group insurance for health, dental and vision care, retirement packages, and training benefits. The value of the benefits can range from 20% to 30% over and above the basic hourly pay rate.

Where do I go from here?

Landscape technicians may find employment in landscape construction, nurseries, greenhouses, garden centres, yard and tree care, golf courses, public parks, cemeteries and in many other horticulture and gardening-related fields. Trade beginners generally find that their prospects for steady work improve with experience. The trade currently employs about 4000 people in Manitoba. Experienced landscape technicians can expect above-average incomes.