CERTIFICATE IN ORGANICS

Level 3 and Level 4

This BHU – Southern Institute of Technology(SIT) partnership offers training at the Climate Action Campus.

The programme has a hands-on focus, covering organic principles and practices over one or two semesters.

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Course
Information

What the training will cover

Programme	NZ Certificate in Organic Primary Production L3	NZ Certificate in Organic Primary Production L4
Aims	A hands-on introduction to organics principles and selected practices, utilizing the 10ha BHU organic farm.	Applied organics… building on the knowledge gained in the level 3 programme, with a focus on small to medium scale production.
Courses	ENVI3201 Organic Production (10 credits): The aim of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to apply organic principles, certification and organic compliance requirements. ENVI3202 Organic System Health (15 credits): The aim of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to carry out system health activities. ENVI3203 Soils and Composting (15 credits): The aim of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to understand basic soil properties and apply processes for soil health in an organic system. ENVI3204 Biodiversity in Organic Production (10 credits): The aim of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to understand and carry out biodiversity improvement practices.	ENVI4201 Organic Primary Production Operations: The aim of this course is for learners to understand organic and compliance requirements and identify how these are applied to successful organic primary production operations. ENVI4202 Soil and Nutrient Management: The aim of this course is for learners to gain an understanding of soil health practices and apply management strategies to improve soil quality and nutrient availability. ENVI4203 Biodiversity Management: The aim of this course is for learners to gain an understanding of biodiversity improvement practices and apply management strategies to improve biodiversity within an organic production system. ENVI4204 Organic Crop Production: The aim of this course is for learners to carry out specific production activities to implement and monitor an organic crop plan over a full production season.
Skills/Topics	Organic principles including IFOAM and related practices (Regenerative Farming, Biodynamics and Permaculture) Organic development and drivers Organic system design including the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services Case studies of successful small-scale organic enterprises including their structure and management Soil properties (physical, chemical, biological). Soil Food Web workshop Ground preparation and crop production; theory and practical with a focus on small-scale production (eg French intensive double digging) Weed and pest identification, collection and organic management Propagation	Composting theory & practice (hot composting, Bokashi, worm composting, Biodynamic composting, large-scale municipal composting) Soil and nutrient management including the Visual Soil Assessment (VSA) method Characteristics of successful organic production with a focus on small-scale production, urban food production and organic social enterprises Irrigation and water management Post-harvest care and management The nature of the organic market (domestic and export) Organic certification and regulation in NZ

Qualification, Duration and Dates

Programme	NZ Certificate in Organic Primary Production L3	NZ Certificate in Organic Primary Production L4
Duration	17 weeks (19 weeks including holidays)	17 weeks (19 weeks including holidays)
Start date	12/2/24	22/7/24
End date	21/6/24	30/11/24
Credits	50	60
More information	CLICK HERE for more information for L3	CLICK HERE for more information for L4

School Leavers

Applicants should be a minimum of 16 years of age, and have attained NCEA Level 2 as follows:

60 credits at Level 2 or above, plus 20 credits from any level, and
Literacy – minimum of 10 credits at Level 1 or above through either specified assessment standards available through a range of subjects and English for Academic Purposes, unit standards 22750 and 22751 (minimum total of 10 credits), or unit standards – package of three literacy unit standards (26622, 26624, 26625 – all three required)
Numeracy – a minimum of 10 credits at Level 1 or above through either achievement standards – specified assessment standards through a range of subjects (minimum of 10 credits), or unit standards – package of three numeracy unit standards (26623, 26626, 26627 – all three required)

Mature Applicants

Applicants over the age of 20 years at the time of enrolment will be considered where they can demonstrate the ability to succeed in a programme. Examples of demonstration of ability to succeed are the provision of evidence of successful completion of a programme of study at Level 2 or above and/or employment in the related sector for one or more years. They may be admitted subject to programme regulations approved by the Head of Faculty in consultation with the Programme Manager as appropriate. Personal commitment and a belief in one’s own ability to succeed are important personal traits and will always be taken into consideration during the selection process.

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:

NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or

an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or

Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA), or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL); or

Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or

Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or

Successful completion of a Bachelor ‘s Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters’ Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or

Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment.

Certificate at Level 3

IELTS test – General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) – Score of 500 (with an essay score of 4 TWE)
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) – Score of 35 (with a writing score of 14)
Cambridge English Examination – B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 154. No less than 154 in each skill.
OET – Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests
NZCEL – a) Expiring Level b) Current: Level 3 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 3 (General)
Pearson Test of English (Academic) – PTE (Academic) score of 36 with no band score lower than 36
Language Cert – B1 Achiever IESOL (LRWS) with PASS and no less than PASS in each skill
Trinity ISE – ISE I with no less than distinction in any band