FATP · an independent directoryApprenticeship data sourced from DfE, ESFA and IfATEUpdated daily · GB
L3Apprenticeship3922 approved providers
The Level 3 Horticulture or landscaping supervisor, and the 2 providers delivering it.
Planning and maintaining large gardens, parks and other green spaces.
About this apprenticeship
What this apprenticeship covers
Apprentices learn to plan, supervise and carry out both horticultural maintenance and landscape construction work. On the horticultural side, this includes developing annual maintenance programmes, integrated pest management, specialist pruning of trees, shrubs and climbers, turf and meadow management, plant propagation, and water feature maintenance. Landscape construction skills cover setting out sites from drawings, estimating materials and resources, bricklaying, paving, timber features, and installing services such as drainage and lighting conduits. Supervisors are expected to manage work quality and health and safety on site, not just carry out operations themselves.
Day-to-day responsibilities
Week to week, an apprentice in this role might assess a site and plan the next phase of maintenance, supervise a small team carrying out planting or renovation work, or set out levels and features from a construction drawing ahead of a hard landscaping job. They will use cable avoidance tools before breaking ground, schedule pest and disease control treatments, and check that work meets the agreed specification. Communication with clients, contractors and colleagues is a regular part of the role, as is operating and maintaining specialist machinery.
Career outlook
Completing this apprenticeship typically leads to roles such as horticultural supervisor, grounds maintenance supervisor, landscape contracts supervisor, or team leader within a landscaping or grounds management company. From there, progression often moves into contracts management, project management, or site management. Employers who hire at this level include local authorities, estate management companies, landscape contractors, garden design firms, historic house trusts, and facilities management organisations. The qualification sits at a level that supports movement into junior management within three to five years of completion.
2 approved providers
Sorted by achievement rate.
Askham Bryan College
Employer: 3.0
Askham Bryan College is a specialist land-based college offering apprenticeship training and wider s...
City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation delivers apprenticeships and adult learning through its Adult Skills ...
Career outcomes
Roles after completion
Completing this apprenticeship typically leads to roles such as Horticultural Supervisor, Landscaping Supervisor, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor, or Head Groundsperson. Those who specialise in construction tend to move into Landscape Construction Supervisor or Site Supervisor positions, overseeing installation projects from setting out through to handover. Others with a stronger planting and maintenance focus may take on Senior Horticulturist or Head Gardener roles, carrying responsibility for a site or section within it.
Progression paths
Within three to five years, experienced supervisors often move into Landscape Project Manager, Grounds Manager, or Contract Manager roles, taking on budget responsibility and managing client relationships alongside operational delivery. The deep-specialist track leads toward roles such as Head of Grounds, Arboricultural Consultant, or IPM specialist. Those drawn to the commercial side can progress into estimating or business development, using their site-level knowledge to price and plan landscape contracts.
Where these roles sit
Local authorities, the National Trust, Historic England-registered garden estates, schools, universities, and NHS trusts all employ horticultural and grounds supervisors in the public and charitable sectors. On the commercial side, landscape contractors, grounds maintenance companies, garden centres with installation services, and property management firms are consistent hirers. Domestic garden design and build companies, particularly those handling larger private commissions, also recruit at this level. The split between public green-space management and private construction work means roles exist across most parts of the UK.
How it's assessed
How the apprenticeship is assessed
Throughout the apprenticeship, the learner works in a horticulture or landscaping role while building the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the standard. These cover both horticultural operations, such as pest management, plant propagation and maintenance programming, and landscaping construction work, including setting out sites, installing services and constructing hard features. Before final assessment, the apprentice and employer complete a readiness check, often called the gateway, to confirm the apprentice has met all requirements and is ready to be assessed. Final assessment then confirms whether the apprentice can perform competently at supervisor level. Assessment models for many standards are currently being updated, so check the standard's gov.uk page for the current specification.
What learners need to prepare
Building a record of workplace evidence from the start of the programme makes preparation far more manageable than gathering it all towards the end. Apprentices should document practical work across both horticulture and landscaping duties as it happens, covering site surveys, construction projects, maintenance programmes and pest management plans. Close, regular communication with both the employer and the training provider helps identify any gaps in coverage early. Keeping records contemporaneously, with notes on what was done, why and with what outcome, produces stronger evidence than reconstructed accounts written from memory later.
Choosing a provider
What good looks like
Look for providers with an achievement rate above 65% on their FATP profile, though given the practical demands of this standard, anything consistently above 75% is a stronger signal. Providers should be delivering the apprenticeship across real outdoor sites, not just classroom theory, with clear evidence of access to working landscapes for hands-on training in construction, planting and pruning. Check that they hold or can confirm delivery of the LANTRA or City & Guilds units that sit behind the required certificates of competence, particularly for pesticide application and machinery use. High employer satisfaction scores matter here because much of the supervision and assessment happens on the job.
Red flags to watch for
Be cautious of providers who cannot explain how apprentices gain practice across both horticulture and landscaping operations, since the standard covers soft and hard landscaping as distinct pathways. Vague answers about where practical training takes place, or programmes that lean heavily on classroom time, are a concern for a role that is outdoor and year-round by nature. A high volume of learners combined with a declining achievement rate may indicate stretched off-the-job support. If a provider cannot show how apprentices develop competence in setting out sites from construction drawings or planning pest management programmes, the delivery may not match the standard.
Questions to ask before you commit
- How do you deliver practical training in hard landscaping construction, including setting out from drawings, brick laying and installing services such as drainage or lighting conduits?
- Which certificates of competence do apprentices work towards during the programme, and how is pesticide application training organised?
- What is your current achievement rate for this standard, and how has it changed over the past two years?
- Can you show us examples of the maintenance schedules or construction project plans that apprentices have produced as evidence?
- How do you tailor the programme to employers who specialise in one pathway, such as grounds maintenance or landscape construction, rather than both?
- What employer satisfaction score does your FATP profile show, and how do you typically involve the line manager or site supervisor in progress reviews?
- Are your tutors and assessors currently working in, or recently retired from, the industry, and what practical qualifications do they hold?
Common questions
What are the entry requirements for this apprenticeship?
There are no nationally set entry requirements, so employers can set their own criteria. In practice, most employers look for candidates who already have some practical experience in horticulture or landscaping, often from a Level 2 apprenticeship or similar role. Apprentices must be employed in a genuine supervisory or senior operative position throughout, as the standard is built around responsibilities such as planning maintenance programmes and overseeing landscape construction work.
How long does the apprenticeship take, and how is learning structured?
The typical duration is 30 months, though the actual length depends on the apprentice's prior experience and how quickly they demonstrate the required competence. Learning happens on the job, working as a horticulture or landscaping supervisor, combined with off-the-job training delivered by a provider. Current requirements around minimum duration and off-the-job training hours are subject to revision under Skills England reforms, so check the current specification on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website before committing.
How is the apprenticeship assessed at the end?
Before an apprentice can sit their end-point assessment, they must pass through gateway, which means their employer and training provider confirm they have met all the knowledge, skills and behaviours in the standard. Assessment models for many apprenticeship standards are currently being updated, so the specific end-point assessment methods may differ from older versions of the standard. Check the current assessment plan on the gov.uk apprenticeship standards page for up-to-date details.
How does funding work for employers?
The funding band for this standard is £10,000, which is the maximum the government will contribute toward training and assessment costs. Larger employers who pay the apprenticeship levy use their levy account to fund it. SMEs that do not pay the levy co-invest alongside the government, typically contributing 5% of costs. Very small employers taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18 may pay nothing at all. Speak to a registered training provider or ESFA guidance for the exact position that applies to your organisation.
What does an apprentice in this role actually do day to day?
Day-to-day work covers a mix of practical and planning tasks. That includes assessing horticultural areas and building annual maintenance schedules, supervising and carrying out specialist pruning of climbers, shrubs and trees, setting out sites for landscape construction from drawings, managing pest and disease controls under Integrated Pest Management principles, installing services such as drainage and irrigation, and overseeing hard landscaping tasks including brickwork, paving and timber features. Much of the work happens outdoors, year-round and in all weather conditions.
What can an apprentice do after completing this apprenticeship?
Completing this standard at Level 3 positions someone well for senior roles in grounds management, landscape project management or estate management. Some progress into contracts or operations management within commercial landscaping businesses, local authorities, or heritage and conservation organisations. Others move toward further qualifications at Level 4 or Level 5 in horticulture, arboriculture or project management, depending on their chosen specialism. The supervisory skills gained, particularly in planning, estimating and quality oversight, also transfer into self-employment or running a small landscaping business.
Not sure which provider fits?
Tell us a bit about your team and we'll send a shortlist.
Need help choosing a provider?
Tell us your requirements and we'll match you with the right training providers.
Curated by Alex Lockey, FATP founder and editor. Last reviewed: .
Sources include the apprenticeship's official specification on apprenticeships.gov.uk, Skills England guidance, IfATE archive records, DWP funding bands, and provider data sourced directly from the public Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR). Standard reference: 392.
Some sections on this page were drafted with AI assistance from published source data and reviewed by a human editor before publication. See our editorial methodology for how we maintain this content. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.