- - AGRICULTURAL CORE CURRICULUM - - (CLF6000) Advanced Core Cluster: ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE (CLF6750) Unit Title: THE ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY ____________________________________________________________________________ (CLF6751) Topic: CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND Time Taught in Year(s) EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS 3 hours 3 / 4 ____________________________________________________________________________ Topic Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson the student will be able to: Learning Outcome #: (N-1) - Identify career opportunities in the nursery, landscaping, and floriculture industries, and educational requirements necessary for entry-level and advanced job placement. Special Materials and Equipment: None References: Ingels, Jack. (1985). ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers. Resources: Vocational Education Productions, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407. Videos: Careers in Landscape Management series. Evaluation: Quiz by instructor. TOPIC PRESENTATION: CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE A. There are career opportunities in ornamental horticulture for people with a diversity of backgrounds, education, and career goals. People working in the profession usually fall into one of the following groups: 1. Unskilled Laborers: Usually paid the federal minimum wage or slightly higher; often have no schooling beyond high school and may not have completed high school. a. May work indoors or outdoors, often with a minimum amount of contact with the public. b. Are usually part-time and summer workers who are still in school, retired persons, or migrant workers. c. Their work often involves heavy labor and repetitious tasks. 2. Skilled Laborers: Employees that have specific technical skills that are needed by the employer. a. They may have learned their skill during previous work experience or through courses taken at the high school or college level. 3. Middle Management: Employees that usually possess some college training who often want to make ornamental horticulture their lifelong career. a. This category often includes people with horticultural knowledge, formal education, and prior experience in the field. 4. Owners and Operators: Most often these are people with extensive education and experience, or those whose families have owned the business for many years. a. The level of college education may include a two-year associate degree, bachelor's or graduate degree. 5. Educators, Specialists, and Researchers: This group usually has the greatest amount of higher education due to the type of work they do. a. This category includes teachers, consultants, scientific researchers, and Cooperative Extension agents. B. Four of the main overall career categories in ornamental horticulture are listed below with specific types of job listed under each one. 1. Nursery Management: Deals mostly with growing and/or marketing trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers, bedding plants, and horticulture supplies and materials. a. Wholesale Production Nursery: Propagator Inventory Controller Field Foreperson Field Superintendent Manager Salesperson Sales Manager Shipping Foreperson Broker b. Wholesale Production of Seeds: Breeder Propagator Independent Grower Sales Manager Salesperson and Dealer c. Retail Nursery and Garden Center: The wholesaler sells to retailer, who sells to the public. General Manager: Buyer Division Manager Plant Doctor (Horticulturist) Landscape Designer Salesperson Floral Designer Maintenance Person Delivery Person (Truck Driver) 2. Floriculture and Design: Deals with the production, distribution, and use of floral products and related goods and services. a. Production: Grower Production Superintendent or Foreperson Marketing Manager Propagator Inventory Controller b. Wholesale Commission Florist: Manager Buyer Sales Manager Salesperson Route Salesperson c. Retail Florist: Store Manager Sales Clerk Head Designer Floral Designer Commentator Wire Service Field Representative Panel or Show Designer 3. Landscape Industry: Deals with the design, installation, and maintenance of landscapes. a. Landscape Contracting: Landscape Designer Landscape Estimator Landscape Contractor/Manager Landscape Construction Crew Foreperson Landscape Maintenance Foreperson Landscape Gardener Salesperson Landscape Draftsperson b. Turf Management: Greenskeeper Greenskeeper, Head, Foreperson Turf Grower c. Parks Management: Parks Service Manager Parks Planner Parks Maintenance Supervisor Groundskeeper d. Interior Landscape: Designer-Salesperson Contractor (Installation) Contractor, Rental and/or Maintenance e. Arboriculture: Urban Forester Tree Trimmer Tree Trimming Foreperson Tree Surgeon 4. Education and Research: Extension Agent (Farm Advisor) Private Horticultural Consultant Garden Writer Ornamental Horticulture Instructor High School, Community College 5. University: Landscape Design Landscape Contracting Floriculture Production Diseases and Pests Floral Design Management Research Scientists Research Technicians Plant Inspector Horticulture Therapy 6. Arboretum, Botanical Garden, or Horticultural Garden: Director Superintendent of Operations Educational Director Curator Librarian Writer Propagator Researcher Greenhouse Manager C. It is very helpful to obtain as much practical education as possible in ornamental horticulture, and there are a number of ways to do so. 1. Practical education is available through work experience programs at the high school and college level. Oftentimes, students can receive both credits and pay from their jobs. 2. Practical education is also oftentimes available at the school's horticulture facility itself, i.e., maintaining plants in greenhouses or outdoor nursery stock areas, or landscaping the school grounds. D. Educational requirements for entry-level and advanced job placement in this industry include a variety of important courses. 1. Depending on the specific area a student plans to pursue, the following group of course subjects are felt by many in the industry to be very helpful in preparing students for entry-level positions: a. Introduction to Ornamental Horticulture b. Plant Identification and Plant Propagation c. Landscape Design and Construction d. Greenhouse or Nursery Operations e. Floral Design and Flower Shop Management f. Diseases and Pests g. Turfgrass Management h. Irrigation System Design, Installation, and Maintenance i. Public Speaking j. Basic Mathematics Skills k. Business Skills l. Basic Botany m. Small Engine Repair 2. Advanced jobs in horticulture often require more upper division course work, including additional classes in several of the areas listed above, as well as some of the following: a. Chemistry b. General education courses in English, math, history, accounting, fine arts, physical education, etc. c. Plant taxonomy d. Agricultural mechanics e. Business management courses 12/19/90 CH/sg #%&C