Australia’s landscaping industry is diverse and complex. This isn’t fully captured in any national system, making it difficult for industry to access workforce development support.
Industry stakeholders have raised concerns about access to suitable training, formal recognition, jurisdictional variation, and poor alignment between qualifications, regulation and real-world practice.
Skills Insight and state landscaping associations are leading this project to identify and map landscaping job titles, roles, skills and knowledge at a national level. This will create a clearer picture of the industry, the capabilities it needs, and the career pathways it can offer.
The project will examine whether current landscape-related qualifications reflect contemporary and emerging expectations. It will also identify whether the diversity, skill levels and scope of contemporary landscaping practice are accurately reflected in national workforce and data systems.
Findings will inform future training and workforce development activities to ensure landscape careers are more visible and supported, and the industry can access the skilled workforce it needs.
Stakeholders around the country are being consulted on current job roles, skills needs and regulations to develop a holistic view of the industry.
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Opportunities for input
Consultation workshops
You are invited to register for a consultation workshop to validate consultation findings regarding job roles, career pathways and technical skills for a contemporary landscaping workforce. Your insights will directly inform recommendations regarding future activities to support the future of Australia’s landscaping industry.
Skills Review questionnaire
You are encouraged to complete this questionnaire to help us build a full and accurate picture of the industry.
Interim report
Stakeholder insights are presented in the interim report. You can provide feedback to [email protected]
Consultations and findings to date
This project is being undertaken in consultation with state landscaping associations to ensure project outcomes consider the needs of different jurisdictions. The industry bodies guiding the project are:
Activities undertaken
The following consultations were undertaken to help identify job roles and skills needs across Australia:
- Five targeted workshops were held in collaboration with the industry associations, one per jurisdiction. Skills Insight would like to thank the associations for their assistance organising and hosting these events.
- Two online workshops were held for stakeholders around the country to learn about the project and contribute insights.
- An online questionnaire was used to collect detailed input from stakeholders and is still available to complete.
- The project team attended a number of industry events to connect with stakeholders, including:
Summary of survey findings
Landscaping industry stakeholders consistently describe landscapers as designers and builders of the world external to buildings. Participants identified workforce and training challenges resulting from a lack of visibility and clarity around career pathways, occupational definitions and regulations.
Industry recognition and visibility
The industry is not well understood by the public and career options are not widely known. Industry described landscaping as technically complex work spanning residential, commercial and public realms – far broader than public perception. Landscaping is often misunderstood as ‘just gardening’, when in reality it requires competencies such as set‑out/levels, plan reading, materials knowledge, compliance, and project delivery.
Training delivery gaps
Employers across all five states consistently raised concerns that current qualifications fail to produce graduates capable of safe, autonomous practice, reporting inconsistent RTO delivery, outdated core/elective structures, and heavy reliance on employer-led on-the-job training to fill critical gaps. This universal pattern of qualifications not matching real work breadth creates an unfair employer training burden and compromises graduate readiness across design, construction and maintenance.
Workforce and skills shortages
Businesses report difficulty employing workers with the required skills. It is easier to source untrained young workers to train on the job. These recruits will often leave to start their own business once their apprenticeship is complete. Older people making a career change make up a large portion of new entrants. They are valued for their commitment and transferable skills, but the physical requirements can be challenging. Vocational educational training is strongly supported by stakeholders, who indicated that sound training is key to strengthening the industry.
Breadth of skills required
Landscaping bridges construction and horticulture, requiring individuals to have a sound knowledge of horticulture, soil science (for plant nutrition and soil stability), water management (for irrigation and drainage), and strong construction skills. These were repeatedly cited as foundational for safe and effective practice.
Pathway weakness and ‘qualification stacking’
Survey results indicate many workers hold multiple qualifications, with 76% of experienced respondents holding two or more qualifications. Four respondents held higher education qualifications as well as VET qualifications (Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Bachelor of Design, Master of Landscape Architecture and Bachelor of Environmental Science). This could suggest that pathways are unclear and training is not sufficiently structured, or this may be indicative of the fact that many landscapers have chosen landscaping as a second career. Stakeholders have voiced their desire for landscaping to become a first choice in career selection.
Future skills are an intensification, not a reinvention
The use of technology and climate awareness, including water availability, were identified as important skills and knowledge for the future. However, stakeholders were adamant this is not new, rather an amplification of current practices. The construction of green walls and knowledge of water movement are not new concepts in the landscaping industry, though it may be necessary to update the skills needed to maintain currency for these tasks in the future.
Jurisdictional differences matter
Regulatory and training settings vary significantly by state/territory, which can be challenging for trainers, industry professionals and employers to navigate. There is a need for nationally coherent and locally adaptable approaches.
Workforce attraction and retention constraints
Both the survey results and data collected during workshops suggests the barriers for attraction and retention include: low appetite for physical work, perceived pay limitations and limited awareness of career opportunities.
Occupational classification (OSCA) seen as inadequate
The two current OSCA titles directly associated with landscaping do not adequately describe the work undertaken by landscapers. Landscape Gardener and Landscape Designer were viewed as too narrow. This limits workforce visibility, data quality and pathway planning.
Key outcomes from consultations
Consultations held across Australia are helping build a clearer picture of the challenges and opportunities facing the landscaping workforce. Here’s what we’re hearing state by state.
- Landscaping needs clearer career pathways and recognition of the distinct but connected roles in design, construction and management.
- Training pathways and qualifications need to better reflect workplace expectations, with improved access to RPL, assessment-only options, internships and higher-education pathways.
- Workforce attraction and retention are affected by low wages, competition from mining and construction, cost-of-living pressures, housing, travel and the physical nature of the work.
- Training delivery is constrained by limited providers and trainers, funding, compliance requirements, course visibility, location and insufficient confirmed demand.
- Licensing, regulation and professional recognition require further investigation to support quality, consumer confidence and incentives for formal training.
- Future research will examine job advertisements, employer expectations, skill shortages, training demand and the responsible use of AI in landscaping.
- Licensing requirements, particularly QBCC rules, do not always recognise industry experience or reflect the practical skills needed on landscaping worksites.
- Participants supported shorter, modular training options, including a Certificate II-style pathway before entering a Certificate III apprenticeship.
- Landscaping is becoming more specialised, with emerging areas including green walls, green roofs, vertical gardens, tiling, fencing and decking.
- Training needs to address increasingly complex safety risks, machinery, digital tools, irrigation, access systems and green infrastructure.
- Apprentice attraction and retention remain difficult due to low wages, physical working conditions and competition from higher-paid trades.
- The industry needs clearer progression pathways, stronger professional recognition and updated occupational classifications, including consideration of “Landscaper” rather than the broad “Landscape Gardener” classification.
- Further work will examine licensing barriers, qualification structures, skill sets, wage support, industry specialisations and modular training pilots in Queensland.
- Apprenticeships remain important, but stronger mentoring, supervision and workplace support are needed to improve completion.
- Landscaping needs broader and more flexible entry pathways, with foundational training across horticulture, construction, design and sustainability before specialisation.
- Training should be more practical and project-based, while also strengthening literacy, numeracy, communication, safety and business skills.
- Schools and careers advisers need better information and more flexible opportunities for students to experience landscaping.
- The term “landscape gardener” is outdated; clearer occupational categories should recognise landscapers, horticulturalists, designers, construction and maintenance roles.
- The industry should develop evidence-based proposals for improvements to funding, safety requirements, regulation, qualifications and workforce mobility.
Project team
Ismat El Samad
Executive Manager Projects
Skills Insight
[email protected]
Tracey Woods
Stakeholder Engagement Manager
Skills Insight
[email protected]