Horticulture or Landscaping Supervisor

Key information

Reference: OCC0226B
Date updated: 14/11/2024
Level: 3
Route: Agriculture, environmental and animal care
Regulated occupation: No

Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in a wide range of outdoor spaces. This may include public parks and gardens, green spaces, schools, tourist attractions, business and retail parks, historic gardens, private gardens, and estates. The horticultural spaces may be privately or publicly owned.

Work may be carried out on a variety of locations that might include domestic gardens, construction sites, retail and business parks.

Employers will vary in size and type and can include charities, commercial businesses or governmental organisations. Many organisations will be specialised in their activities, such as grounds maintenance or landscape construction.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to plan, oversee and carry out horticultural or landscaping operations to create and maintain horticultural spaces. The work involves both the soft landscaping aspects (plants and soil) and the hard landscaping (surfaces, features, and structures).

Horticulture or Landscaping Supervisors will be employed in an occupation that specialises in either horticulture or landscaping.

Horticultural Supervisors plan the maintenance of established horticultural areas. They oversee and carry out hard and soft landscaping maintenance operations and ensure that the site is maintained in line with the design, purpose and business objectives. They will have an advanced skill set, enabling them to undertake a wide range of horticultural operations.

Landscaping Supervisors will plan, oversee and undertake activities required to install landscapes to meet customer specifications. This might be complex landscapes with high values and a range of features including ornamental, horizontal and vertical structures, or smaller scale domestic gardens such as patios, retaining walls, water features, decking or pergolas.

Horticulture or Landscaping Supervisors frequently work outdoors, year-round and in all weathers. They sometimes work at heights, for example pruning taller plants and hedges.

Horticulture or Landscape Supervisors will require certificates of competence and or training to undertake particular activities and use specialist machinery.

Core occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Supervise health, safety and welfare for undertaking horticultural activities, including key documentation, site safety planning and ensuring communication is sufficient for work to be completed safely.	K15 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26 K29 S9 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 B1
Duty 2 Supervise environmental and heritage protection on a horticultural site.	K2 K3 K4 K8 K9 K15 K21 K23 K29 S1 S2 S4 S9 S13 S15 B2
Duty 3 Establish, maintain and care for plants in different environments.	K1 K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K14 K16 K17 K18 K22 K25 K27 K30 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S8 S10 S11 S14 S16 S18 B1
Duty 4 Manage and optimise soil condition relevant to the environment and planting requirements including the prevention of damage from traffic and works.	K2 K3 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K14 K22 K25 K27 K30 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S8 S14 S16 S18 B1
Duty 5 Develop and implement work plans to deliver projects and achieve desired quality of work.	K2 K3 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 S2 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 B1 B2 B4
Duty 6 Develop and supervise the implementation of site biosecurity measures and invasive species management.	K2 K4 K8 K9 K10 K21 K23 K25 K30 S1 S2 S4 S5 S13 S15 S16 B1
Duty 7 Oversee horticultural site-based projects, organise resources, budgets and people. To include environmental protection, keeping records and using digital technology.	K2 K3 K4 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 S1 S2 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 B1 B2 B4
Duty 8 Provide customer care to all stakeholders.	K23 K24 K26 S15 S17 B4
Duty 9 Supervise a team of staff or volunteers undertaking horticultural or landscaping maintenance activities.	K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 B1 B2 B4
Duty 10 Manage own performance and development.	K1 K5 B3
Duty 11 Supervise, maintain and operate tools equipment and machinery.	K2 K3 K21 K23 K25 K27 S2 S13 S15 S16 S17 S18 B1
Duty 12 Plan and implement the assessment, maintenance and repair of horticultural structures for safety, longevity and aesthetics.	K2 K13 K21 K23 K25 K27 K28 S1 S2 S7 S13 S15 S16 S18 B1 B2

Option duties

Horticulture Supervisor duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 13 Plan, schedule and undertake maintenance for soft landscape elements.	K31 K32 K33 K35 K36 K37 S19 S20 S22 S23 S24
Duty 14 Propagate plants and choose appropriate growing media	K32 K33 K34 S19 S20 S21

KSBs

Knowledge

Skills

Behaviours

End-point assessment (EPA plan)

Rigorous robust and independent assessment undertaken by an apprentice at the end of training to test that the apprentice can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard

End-point assessment organisation (EPAO)

An organisation approved to deliver end-point assessment for a particular apprenticeship standard. EPAOs must be on the register of end-point assessment organisations

Holistic or synoptic

Assessment of an apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in an integrated way i.e. assessing several KSBs at the same time

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB)

What is needed to competently undertake the duties required for an occupational standard

Valid

Referred to in relation to assessment methods; fit for purpose

Change request policy

Most changes to an apprenticeship are made as a result of a holistic review of it. We prioritise the need for such reviews based on a range of factors. These include:

the time since the apprenticeship was developed or last reviewed (taking account of its typical duration)
the existence of any known problems with it (e.g. lower than expected starts, low achievement rate, high withdrawal rate, any issues with the availability of training or end-point assessment provision)
whether the apprenticeship is currently subject to a dispensation
the relative significance of the apprenticeship based on how many users it has

The availability of an employer group to support a review and its potential impact on any related technical education product also inform the timing of a review.

Details of apprenticeships that are currently being revised or adjusted are available in our revisions and adjustments status report.

View occupation in map View apprenticeship standard

Share this page

LinkedIn X Facebook Email

Crown copyright © 2025. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

Horticulture or Landscaping Supervisor - Horticulture Supervisor