Learn to Manage Hydroponics Enterprises
Develop the principles required to produce plants in a hydroponic system. This course is designed for anyone wanting to start a hydroponic business. The structure of the course can be broken into two parts.
The first, developing business, management and marketing skills and knowledge. The second part, teaching how to grow plants hydroponically, and developing an understanding of the different structures used to grow plants in a controlled environment.
CORE UNITS
Students must complete and pass all of these core units.
- Office Practices
Develops
basic office skills covering use of equipment, communication systems
(telephone, fax, etc) and office procedures such as filing, security,
workplace organisations, etc.
Business Operations
- Develops knowledge of basic business operations and procedures
(eg. types of businesses, financial management, business analysis,
staffing, productivity, etc) and the skills to develop a 12 month
business plan.
- Management
- Develops knowledge of management structures, terminology, supervision, recruitment and workplace health and safety.
- Marketing Foundations.
- Develops a broad understanding of marketing and specific skills
in writing advertisements, undertaking market research, developing an
appropriate marketing plan and selling.
STREAM STUDIES
1. HYDROPONICS I
There are ten lessons as follows:
1. Introduction
2. How a Plant Grows
3. Hydroponic Systems
4. Nutrition & Nutrition management
5. Plant Culture
6. Hydroponic Vegetable Production
7. Hydroponic Cut Flower Production
8. Solid Media vs Nutrient Film
9. Greenhouse Operation & Management
10. Special Assignment
2. HYDROPONIC MANAGEMENT (Hydroponics II)
There are eleven lessons in this module as follows:
1. How the Crop Plant Grows: Understanding how a plant grows in
hydroponics, plant growth factors, manipulating and controlling growth,
plant troubleshooting, resources, fruit set management, pollination
issues, flower initiation, flower and fruit development etc.
2. How to Run a Small Evaluation Trial
3. Harvest and Post Harvest
4. Tomatoes
5. Capsicum
6. Lettuce, Salad Greens and Foliage Herb Crops
7. Cucurbits (Cucumber and Melons)
8. Strawberries
9. Roses
10. Carnations
11. Orchids
3. PROTECTED PLANT PRODUCTION
There are seven lessons in this module as follows:
1. Structures for Protected Cropping
2. Environmental Control
3. Cladding Materials and their Properties
4. Irrigation and Nutrition
5. Relationship between Production techniques and Horticultural practices
6. Harvest and Post Harvest Technology
7. Risk Assessment
INDUSTRY PROJECT OR WORK EXPERIENCE
This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award.
Here are two options available to you to satisfy this requirement:
Alternative 1.
If you work in the industry that you have
been studying; you may submit a reference from your employer, in an
effort to satisfy this industry (ie. workplace project) requirement; on
the basis of RPL (ie. recognition for prior learning), achieved through
your current and past work experience.
The reference must indicate that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.
Alternative 2.
If you do not work in the relevant industry, you need to undertake a project as follows.
Procedure for a Workplace Project
This project is a major part of the
course involving the number of hours relevant to the course (see above).
Although the course does not contain mandatory work requirements, work
experience is seen as highly desirable.
This project is based on applications in
the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the
opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed
through various areas of formal study.
Students will design this project in
consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the
area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The
project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals
or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work
experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide
suitable references from employers that show they have already
fulfilled the requirements of this project.
For courses that involve more than 100
hours, more than one workplace project topic may be selected. For
example, 200 hours may be split into two projects each of 100 hours.
This will offer the student better scope to fulfill the needs of their
course and to meet the number of hours required. Alternatively, the
student may wish to do one large project with a duration of 200 hours.
Students will be assessed on how well
they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their
negotiations with their tutor. During each 100 hours of the project,
the students will present three short progress reports. These progress
reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission.
The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.
If the student wishes to do one large 200 hour report, then only
three progressive reports will be needed (however the length of each
report will be longer).
Modules
Note that each module in the Qualification - Advanced Certificate in Applied Management (Horticultural Technology) is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
