Residential Landscape Technician Diploma | Burnaby Community & Continuing Education

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Residential Landscape Technician Diploma

You are welcome to attend a FREE INFORMATION SESSION to speak to an advisor in person.

This part time diploma program covers information required for employment as a residential landscaper, including business fundamentals. It is industry approved and developed in cooperation with the BC Landscape and Nursery Association and also prepares participants to write the Landscape Industry Certified Technician and the Provincial Trades Qualifications Exam.

This program will be of interest to those considering a career in the landscape industry, are starting their own business in the landscape industry, or are currently in the industry and wish to update their knowledge and provide more comprehensive services.

Topics covered include:

Ornamental plants
Irrigation
Plant identification
Plant installation
Soils
Design fundamentals
Grading and drainage
Landscape maintenance
Turf
Pruning
Integrated pest management
Business fundamentals

Participants can complete this program on a part-time basis in two semesters of 9 weeks each; the semesters are scheduled for September-December and January-March.

More program details

COURSE OUTLINE FOR STUDENTS STARTING IN THE FALL SEMESTER

Semester I

Ornamental Plants In The Landscape
Plant ID I – Annuals
Botany – Plant structure and chemistry
Plant ID II – Perennials
Soils I – Soil texture, structure, fertility, pH and how they relate to plant health
Plant ID III – Deciduous trees & shrubs I
Soils II – Soil tests, amendments, mulches, cultural practices and how they relate to plant health
Plant ID IV – Deciduous Trees and Shrubs II
Grading & Drainage – Causes and control of grading, drainage and erosion problems
Plant ID V – Vines and ground covers
Turf I – Characteristics and cultural needs of the most common West Coast turf grasses, turf establishment
Turf II – Lawn maintenance, disease, weed and pest control (IPM)
Integrated Pest Management I – Principles and practices of IPM
Integrated Pest Management II – Principles and practices of IPM
Irrigation Basics – Irrigation scheduling
Irrigation Lab – Basic irrigation system installation and repair, sprinkler head adjustment

Semester II

Plant Installation – Site layout, calculating plant requirements, planting & staking, special environmental conditions such as high water tables, compacted soils, prevailing winds, etc
Plant Installation Lab – Site layout and planting
Design Fundamentals I – Elements of landscape design, site analysis
Landscape Maintenance – Evaluation and scheduling of landscape maintenance
Design Fundamentals II – Step-by-step design process
Site Plan Lab – Measurement & collection of data for site plan
Business Fundamentals I – Legal issues affecting the landscape business, such as WCB, Labour standards, bonding, insurance, liens, etc.
Plant ID VI – Evergreen Trees & Shrubs I
Business Fundamentals II – Estimating I
Plant ID VII – Evergreen Trees & Shrubs II
Business Fundamentals III – Estimating II
Business Fundamentals IV – Contracts
Pruning I – Tree physiology, pruning methods and their effect on trees, specialty pruning
Pruning II Lab – Pruning of ornamental trees, shrubs and hedges; students must bring their own bypass pruners
Plant ID VIII – Bulbs and plant ID review

COURSE OUTLINE FOR STUDENTS STARTING IN THE WINTER SEMESTER

Semester I

Ornamental Plants In The Landscape – Suitability of plants for a variety of environments & landscape uses
Soils I – Soil texture, structure, fertility, pH and how they relate to plant health
Botany – Nomenclature, plant structure and chemistry
Soils II – Soils tests, amendments, mulches, cultural practices and how they relate to plant health
Grading & Drainage – Causes and control of grading, drainage and erosion problems
Plant ID I – Bulbs
IPM I – Principles and practices of Integrated Pest Management
IPM II – Principles and practices of Integrated Pest Management
Pruning I – Tree physiology, pruning methods and their effect on trees, specialty pruning
Pruning II – Lab – Pruning of ornamental trees, shrubs and hedges; students must bring their own bypass pruners
Irrigation Basics – Irrigation scheduling
Plant ID II – Evergreen trees and shrubs I
Irrigation Lab – – Basic irrigation system installation and repair, sprinkler head adjustment
Plant ID III – Evergreen trees and shrubs II
Business Fundamentals I – WCB, Labour Standards, bonding, insurance, liens
Plant ID IV – Vines and ground covers

Semester II

Plant Installation – Site layout, calculating plant requirements, planting & Staking, special environmental conditions such as high water tables, compacted soils, prevailing winds, etc
Plant ID V – Annuals
Turf I – Characteristics and cultural needs of the most common West Coast turf grasses, turf establishment
Plant ID VI – Perennials
Turf II
Plant ID VII – Deciduous trees and shrubs
Design Fundamentals I – Elements of landscape design, site analysis
Plant ID VIII – Deciduous trees and shrubs II
Design Fundamentals II – Step-by-step design process
Landscape Maintenance – Evaluation and scheduling of landscape maintenance
Business Fundamentals II – Estimating I
Business Fundamentals III – Estimating II
Plant Installation – Lab – Site layout and planting
Business Fundamentals IV – Contracts

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

To graduate, students must meet all the following requirements:

Successful completion of all assignments and quizzes

FUTURE EMPLOYMENT

Graduates of this program can find employment in the professional landscape industry or start their own landscape business.

INSTRUCTOR BIOS

Julia Alards-Tomalin

Julia has studied Forest Ecosystems and Ecological Restoration at BCIT and has also received training in Ecological Landscape Design from Gaia College. She runs her own ecological restoration business, specializing in re-establishment of native plants in sensitive habitats such as estuaries and stream banks. In addition to field work, she enjoys teaching part-time and public speaking on various environmental topics when she has the opportunity.

Julia Alards-Tomalin

Catherine Dale

Catherine completed my Journeyman certification in Landscape Horticulture in the early 1990’s. After a decade of maintenance work in the industry, she started to wonder about just how educated she was. I was treating the symptoms, not the cause of the sick landscapes she was “caring” for. She wanted to work with nature and organic principles, not be at war with the garden. Time for an awakening!

In partnership with the Burnaby School District, she teaches Gaia College’s Organic Master Gardener program. She also instructs Plant Knowledge for Organic Gardeners and guest lectures in the Ecological Landscape Design program. These 3 courses are designed for professional and home gardeners to learn how to manage the landscape in an environmentally friendly way.

Catherine also teaches the Residential Landscape Technician program at Community & Continuing Education for the Burnaby School District. She has taught this entry-level program to landscapers for the past 17 years.

She is an instructor for the Horticulture Basics program offered by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association, preparing and presenting entry-level information to new landscape employees across the province.

Catherine also instructs modules in the Landscape Horticulturist Apprenticeship program for Levels 1 & 2. Graduates of this program become trades certified in Landscape Horticulture, a red seal program.

In 2004, Catherine received the “Educator of the Year” award from the BC Landscape and Nursery Association. In 2006, she was honoured with the City of Burnaby’s Environmental Award for work at the Eagles Estate heritage garden on the shores of Deer Lake.

Catherine became SOUL certified in Organic Landcare in 2005. She looks forward to serving on the board of SOUL where her goal is to take Organic Landcare into the landscaping industry through education and certification.

Other Qualifications:

Instructor at Capilano College’s Horticulture program in 2005-2006 teaching Soils and Integrated Pest Management
Over 30 years of experience in the horticulture industry, working for several municipalities, golf courses, private gardens, restoring heritage gardens and organically managing the GVRD’s compost demonstration garden
Worked as head gardener on the mainland for the Land Conservancy restoring historical and cultural gardens
Completed the Provincial Instructor’s Diploma in Adult Education
Involved with the Communities in Bloom program

STUDENT FEEDBACK

I have never been in a class with such a cool group of students in my life and feel such a great bond with so many of you all. … I have never had such a great and nice and knowledgeable instructor in all the years I have studied. You are such a great instructor and such a charismatic person who is always smiling. Jeff (May 2017)

Your course was an excellent all-around guide to running an effective business and I took away all that I needed to be a success!Simone Gingras-Fox, Owner of Tea Tree Gardens Ltd

I am now more interested and knowledgeable about plants and organic matter than I would have ever imagined. I loved every moment of this course. It is a wonderful program.(December 2016)

I appreciate the first-hand knowledge of theinstructor. The information felt like insider information.(December 2016)

We are the largest landscape company in BC and are great supporters of the Residential Landscape Technician Diploma program. It is a great way to learn the foundation theory of horticulture, while being able to work full time.Jeff Foley, Para Space Landscape Company

I am a former graduate of the RLT program and now the primary operator of a successful landscape company. We encourage all our staff to further their knowledge through the RLT program.Derrick Ulain, Anderson Garden Services

Catherine is a legend, patient and understanding. If all teachers were as good as Catherine, the world would be a better place.

Good eye opener to better gardening methods.

GRADUATES

Residential Landscape Technician Diploma – 2017 Graduates

Residential Landscape Technician Diploma – 2016 Graduates

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REGISTRATION

PREREQUISITES – Students should meet the following prerequisites before registering:

Proficiency in English
Students must arrange their own transportation to off-site events

SEMESTER 1

Register	Cost	Course schedule	Course location
Course ID 1011-1 REGISTER NOW	$575	18 sessions 13-SEP-2017 to 18-NOV-2017 Wednesdays 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm — and — Saturdays 9:00 am to 12:00 pm	Riverway West 4340 Carson Street Map
Course ID 1019-1 REGISTER NOW	$575	18 sessions 14-SEP-2017 to 18-NOV-2017 Thursdays 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm — and — Saturdays 9:00 am to 12:00 pm	Riverway West 4340 Carson Street Map

SEMESTER 2

Register	Cost	Course schedule	Course location
Course ID 1016-1 REGISTER NOW	$575	18 sessions 13-SEP-2017 to 19-NOV-2017 Wednesdays 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm — and — Saturdays 9:00 am to 12:00 pm	Riverway West 4340 Carson Street Map

Course costs are subject to change each term; future course offerings may charge different amounts.

Registration by phone or in person

Refund policy

A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt.

Fee payments originally made by credit card are credited back to the same card; for expired or invalid credit cards, refunds are made by cheque. Fee payments originally made by cash or cheque are made by cheque. Please allow 3 weeks for processing.

Cancelled classes
When a class is cancelled by Burnaby CCE, a full refund will be issued.

Full time certificate / diploma programs
A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt. For a refund request received at least 1 week prior to the first day of classes, a $100 processing fee is deducted when the refund is issued. For a refund request received less than 1 week prior to the first day of classes, a $200 processing fee is deducted when the refund is issued. No refund is issued for a request received after classes begin. Please see individual course descriptions for exceptions.

Part time certificate / diploma programs
A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt. For a refund request received at least 1 week prior to the first day of classes, a $25 processing fee is deducted when the refund is issued. For a refund request received less than 1 week prior to the first day of classes, a $50 processing fee is deducted when the refund is issued. No refund is issued for a request received after classes begin. Please see individual course descriptions for exceptions.

General interest courses that are 1 session long
A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt. For a refund request received at least 24 hours before the start of the class, a 20% processing fee and any applicable course supply fees are deducted when the refund is issued. No refund is issued for a request received less than 24 hours before the start of the class.

General interest courses that are 2 or more sessions long
A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt. For a refund request received before the second session of the course, a 20% processing fee and any applicable course supply fees are deducted when the refund is issued. No refund is issued for a request received after the second session of the course.