Entry Level Qualification 

8

Career Fields 

Agriculture & Food Science, Others

For Specially Abled 

Career Entrance Exam 

No Entrance Exam

About Career 

1. As a Gardener, you will be involved in growing and nurturing different kinds of plants including flowering (producing flowers), grasses, shrubs, and ornamental (used for decoration) plants for gardens, pavements, parks in commercial, community as well as domestic spaces.

2. You will be managing nurseries to grow trees, plants, flowers, vegetables, etc. in open air or greenhouses, in public or private gardens. You will be planning the preparation of beds, preparing beds, and using various methods of sowing, cultivating, and treatment based on climatic conditions, soil types, irrigation facilities, etc.

3. You will be responsible for most of the ground-level activities, under supervision, starting right from nursery preparation. You will be involved in cleaning and plowing the land and sowing the seeds for growing plants.

4. You will be responsible for applying fertilizer to the soil, watering properly, controlling pests, and nurturing the growth of the plants. You will clear the growth of other plants and vegetation in the growing area.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

As a Gardener, you will be engaged with one or more of the following roles and responsibilities: -

1. You will perform basic gardening and maintenance tasks such as cutting the grass, emptying bins, weed control, leaf raking, etc.

2. You will prepare the soil for growing plants and enhance the fertility with proper manure and fertilizers.

3. You will plant new trees, flowers, and various other decorative plants and take proper care of them.

4. You will create various designs and layouts of shrubs, plants, etc., in the garden.

5. You will keep the garden clean by removing litter, trash, leaves, etc., from the garden area.

6. You will use a variety of hand tools and basic light equipment such as lawnmowers, spray guns, small diggers, etc.

7. You will properly operate garden tools and equipment and assist in their repair and maintenance.

8. You will supervise the work of helpers and laborers to make sure that the garden operations go smoothly.

9. You will source cost-efficient materials, equipment, etc. for the garden.

Career Entry Pathway 

Class 5 in school - NSQF Level 3 Certificate for ‘Assistant Gardener’.

After completing Class 5 in school, you can go for the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) Level 3 Training and Certificate program for ‘Assistant Gardener’ or similar courses. The total number of training hours is 200.

After completing Class 8 in school, you can enroll for a Modular Employable Skills (MES) course for ‘Landscaping and Floriculture’ or similar courses based on the Skill Development Initiative Scheme (SDIS) framework under the Ministry of Labour and Employment of India.

After completing Class 8 in school, you can go for the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) Level 3 Training and Certificate program for ‘Assistant Gardener’ or similar courses. The total number of training hours is 200. Then you can go for the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) Level 4 Training and Certificate program for ‘Gardener’ or similar courses. The total number of training hours is 260 - 2080.

After Class 10, you can obtain a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) for ‘Gardener’ or related trades after completing Apprenticeship training. Apprenticeship training will be of 1 year including 1 week of basic training.

After Class 12, you can go for training at any Industrial Training Institute (ITI), National Skill Training Institute (NSTI), Regional Vocational Training Institute (RVTI), National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI), Industrial Training Center (ITC) or other vocational institutes for the role of ‘Floriculture & Landscaping’ or similar. You will sit for the All India Trade Test (AITT) to get a National Trade Certificate (NTC) after this course. This exam is held twice a year in February and July. You can usually join an ITI after Class 10 itself but this is one of those few courses that require you to pass at least Class 11-12.

After Class 12, you can go for a B. Voc degree (Bachelor of Vocation) in ‘Floriculture and Landscape Gardening’, ‘Floriculture and Landscaping’, or similar disciplines.

After Class 12, you can obtain National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) for ‘Florist and Landscaper’, ‘Gardener’, or related trades after completing Apprenticeship training. Apprenticeship training will be for 1 year.

Required Qualification & Competencies 

After Class 5, you can go for NSQF courses. After Class 8, you can go for MES and NSQF courses. After Class 10, you can go for NAC training. After Class 11-12, you can go for:

1. NAC training.

2. ITI training courses.

3. B. Voc courses

Various private/public vocational training establishments across India offer related courses for:

1. Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

2. Irrigation Science

3. Organic Farming

4. Seed Sciences & Technology

5. Water Sciences & Technology

6. Floriculture & Landscape Architecture

7. Floriculture

8. Post Harvest Technology

Competencies Required

1. You should have an interest in Realistic Occupations. Realistic occupations involve more practical and hands-on activities than paperwork or office work. Realistic occupations often involve physical activities for getting things done using various tools and equipment. 

2. You should have an interest in Conventional Occupations. Conventional occupations involve repetitive and routine tasks as well as fixed processes or procedures for getting things done. These occupations involve working more with data, systems, and procedures and less with ideas or creativity.

3. You should have good hand-eye coordination.

4. Factual knowledge of floriculture and landscaping practices and related matters such as quality of seeds, irrigation methods, pests & diseases, soil health, harvest &postharvest methods, market prices, climatic conditions, etc.

5. You should have Coordination Skills - working together with other people to get things done.

6. You should have skills in Managing Material Resources - sourcing, buying, storing, and use of appropriate raw materials, machines, equipment, and devices for various purposes.

7. You should have Manual Dexterity – The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

8. You should have Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

9. You should have Physical Stamina - The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods without getting winded or out of breath.

10. You should have Oral Comprehension Ability - listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

11. You should have Oral Expression Ability - communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

12. You should have Skills for Communication in Vernacular Languages - Skills in communicating effectively in writing as well as verbally with others in a local or indigenous language such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Assamese, etc.

13. You always or mostly prefer to stick within a routine or carry out routine and repetitive activities.

Career - Job Opportunities & Profiles 

You will find work as a Gardener at:

1. Outdoor Design Consultancy Firms

2. Cut Flowers and Pot Plants Supplier facilities

3. Retail Greenhouses

4. Open Fields

5. Farm Companies

6. Botanical Gardens

7. Nurseries

8. Agriculture Product Companies

9. Genetic Companies

10. Cosmetic and Perfume Manufacturing Companies

Career Growth

You can grow within the gardening and floriculture business or in the retail flower industry through roles such as Horticulture and Landscaping Officer, Assistant Manager, Area Head, etc.

Salary Offered  

1. In entry-level jobs, you can expect a monthly salary package of around Rs. 3,000 – Rs. 8,000 or more a month.

2. As you gain about 5-7 years of experience, your average monthly salary will be somewhere around Rs. 5,000 – Rs. 12,000 or more a month.

3. In about 10-12 years, your salary package will range anywhere between Rs. 10,000 – Rs. 20,000 or more a month.

4. After you’ve gained experience of 12+ years, you can expect Rs. 15,000 – Rs. 30,000 or more a month.

Monthly Earnings In Indian Rupee

1. Entry level: 0 - 2 years of work experience

2. Junior Level: From 1 to 12 years of work experience

3. Mid-Level: From 5 to 20+ years of work experience

4. Senior Level: From 10 to 25+ years of work experience (there could be exceptions in some high-end technical, financial, engineering, creative, management, sports, and other careers; also shortly, people will reach these levels much faster in many careers and some careers, these levels will have no meaning as those careers will be completely tech skill driven such as even now, there is almost no level in a Cyber Security Expert’s job)

Famous Personalities 

Not Available

Work Activities 

1. Handling and moving objects and materials - Using hands or otherwise using physical strength to handle and move objects and materials; maneuver, install, lift, place, manipulate, etc.

2. Performing physical activities - Performing physical activities that require the use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

3. Inspecting equipment, systems, structures, and materials - Inspecting equipment, systems, structures, and materials to ascertain quality, performance, defects, causes of errors, etc.

4. Identifying objects, actions, and events - Identifying various characteristics of objects; observing and understanding actions and events; understanding changes in actions and events.

5. Operating machines, equipment, devices, systems, and processes - Using various methods and techniques to operate machines, equipment, devices, systems and processes in industrial and other settings.

6. Assessing and evaluating quality - Assessing and evaluating the quality of materials, systems, processes, products, services, etc.

7. Communicating with co-workers and others - Communicating with people in writing, verbally or otherwise inside your workplace and various other people who have professional relationships with your place of work including vendors, government officials, etc., or with people at large.

8. Working in a team - Working in a team of people; developing a team; maintaining professional relationships among team members