Information sheet 2
Accredited Permaculture Training (APT)
Accredited courses in Permaculture are now available throughout Australia. These courses range from Certificate I to IV in Permaculture, as well as Diploma of Permaculture, and are part of the Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package. The courses are designed to offer further training to develop your knowledge and skills in permaculture practices and techniques.
APT courses are a part of vocational education and training (VET). They are not a replacement for the Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC): they are an additional form of competency-based training. Students and providers may also have access to state and federal government subsidies according to State and Federal funding programs.
Why would you want to teach accredited permaculture?
- use your skills to enthuse and motivate students to develop skills in permaculture
- guide students towards a career path in permaculture
- help grow permaculture as an industry
- influence other training areas, such as horticulture and agriculture, to include some permaculture skills
- generate a regular income doing what you love
The qualifications that you need:
- an APT qualification (Certificate III in Permaculture, Certificate IV in Permaculture, or Diploma of Permaculture) up to the level you are teaching. For example, you need to have qualified to at least the Certificate III in Permaculture to be able to teach Certificate III.
- Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (Course code TAE40116).
Are you teaching in a school?
- The Permaculture Demonstrator Skills Set (AHCSS00048) comprises four units of Certificate III in Permaculture which enables teachers and others to deliver Certificate I and Certificate II in Permaculture in schools or labour market programs. This Skill Set is not sufficient to deliver Certificate III and higher.
- if you have a PDC you do not need to do the Skill Set.
- everyone teaching in the Vocational Education and Training system in Australia needs a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40116).
So where to from here?
- gain qualifications — study or RRL (Recognition of Prior Learning)
- talk to Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in your area and see if they are interested in offering permaculture training courses. Information on the RTOs with scope of registration to deliver these courses is available at the Training.gov website. Enter the course code and click on ‘find RTOs approved to deliver this qualification’
- seek guidance and further information from Permaculture Australia via the Education Working Group — contact them by emailing education@permacultureaustralia.org.au
- talk to potential students to gauge interest in these courses.
Download Information Sheet 2