Short flexible training now available for horticulture industry
27 July 2026
Primary ITO is introducing short modular training for the horticulture industry, to support new staff to gain introductory knowledge and existing staff to grow their skills.
The new training is available for the hort production and hort services sectors.
The new Limited Credit Programmes (LCPs) are completely flexible, allowing training to be fully customised to suit a particular employee, role, or workplace. Taking four months to complete, learners can choose from the entire range of unit standards available in the full New Zealand Certificate Level 3 training programmes, with no compulsory components.
The new training is available for the production sectors covering fruit, indoor and outdoor, nursery and post-harvest. It is also available for the service sectors covering landscape construction, amenity and arboriculture.
Primary ITO Sector Manager Hamish Gordon says this new training option has been introduced in response to industry feedback.
Hamish says the LCP programmes enable inexperienced staff starting out in horticulture to gain an introduction to the industry, while existing staff can specialise and upskill in particular areas to add to their skillset and continue their career journey.
“Our Training Advisers will work alongside employees and workplace to really tailor the learning to the individual and company. Each learner may want to do something different – even in the same workplace – and whatever they achieve can be cross credited to the full programme if they decide to complete that later.”
Primary ITO will provide all learning and assessment resources and pastoral support for the learner throughout the training programme.
For more information, complete the form below and your local Training Adviser will be in touch.