Land-based Studies qualifications and training courses

Last Updated: 14 Dec 2023

Focussing upon building a sound skills and knowledge base across the land-based subjects, these qualifications provide a good foundation to allow the successful learner to progress to further learning and begin to specialise in areas such as Animal Care, Agriculture, Floristry, Horse Care or Horticulture.

A City & Guilds Level 1 Award, Certificate or Diploma in Land-based Studies is for anyone who is thinking about or interested in a career working with animals, growing food crops, or managing our natural environment. Learners do not need any experience of working in a land-based role or any previous qualification, just an enthusiasm and commitment to gain new skills and learn about the importance of the land-based industries.

We are issuing digital credential to learners who have completed this qualification. Please add your learners’ email address during registration. A digital credential cannot be issued without the learner’s email address.

Available to deliver in the following:

England
Wales – please check QiW website for available funding
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Ireland

Interested in delivering this qualification?

Find out more about how to become an approved City & Guilds centre or fill out our online customer application form.

General Information

What Is Involved In Studying This Course?

While completing these qualifications, learners can cover subjects like:
• animal care
• floristry
• farm work
• gardening
• conservation
• health and safety.

For the Award, Certificate and Diploma in Land-based Studies, you will learn in a supportive and supervised learning environment rather than on the job.

For the Award, you will be assessed by an external multiple-choice test and an assignment.

For the Certificate, you will be assessed by an external multiple-choice test and three assignments.

For the Diploma, you will be assessed by two external multiple-choice tests and five assignments.

All three qualifications have health and safety as a mandatory unit, as this is key knowledge for anyone working in the land-based sector. The optional units cover introductory knowledge and practical skills in agriculture and environment, animal care, floristry, horse care and horticulture.

Level 1 is ideal for learners who are entering the land-based sector, either as part of a school/ college programme or as adults who are new to the sector and want to gain the basic knowledge and skills needed to move on to further study or get an entry-level job working in a land-based industry.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

An Award, Certificate or Diploma in Land-based Studies could help you to get a job within a supportive environment as a:
• Farm Worker (crops)
• Farm Worker (livestock)
• Assistant florist
• Gardener
• Horse Groom
• Kennel Worker
• Pet Shop Assistant.

Once you have successfully completed these qualifications, you could also progress onto a Level 2 qualification in the area that you are most interested in, such as Animal Care, Agriculture, Floristry, Horse Care or Horticulture.

What Is Involved With Delivering This Course?

Centres will need to have technically competent staff with relevant teaching and assessment experience across the breadth and depth of the content of the qualifications.

Centres must be able to demonstrate that they have access to sufficient and appropriate equipment and technical resources required to deliver these qualifications and their assessment, to enable learners to achieve industry standards.

To find all the requirements for assessment and delivery, download the Qualification Handbook from the centre documents section.

There are no formal entry requirements for learners taking these qualifications, but centres must make sure all learners can access the necessary resources they need to complete it.

Level 1

Level 1 will suit you if you are just starting out and want to gain the basic knowledge and skills needed to move on to further study or get an entry-level job working in agriculture, horticulture or animal care.

There are three sizes of qualification at this level.

Award in Land-based Studies

You choose a minimum of one unit from a wide range of options, including:

Animals in the wild and in society
Assembling basic floral designs
Assisting with the care of animals
Assisting with the maintenance of plants and sites in the countryside.

Certificate in Land-based Studies
Diploma in Land-based Studies

You choose 1 specialist pathway from:

General Land-based Studies
Agriculture
Animal Care
Environmental Conservation
Floristry
Horse Care
Horticulture.

Within your pathway you complete 1 core unit and at least 2 optional units (or 5 optional units for the diploma).

For the full list of options and units download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

An Award, Certificate or Diploma in Land-based Studies could help you to get a job as a:

Farm Worker (crops)
Farm Worker (livestock)
Florist
Gardener
Horse Groom
Kennel/Cattery worker
Pet Shop Assistant.

Once you have completed these qualifications, you could also move on to take a Level 2 qualification in the area that you are most interested in, such as agriculture, floristry or animal care.

Level 1 Award in Land-based Studies (0361-12)

Last Registration Date: 31 Aug 2024

Level 1 Award in Land-based Studies

Accreditation No: 603/3595/6 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: VRQ This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: Data unavailable Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 100 - 100 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 120 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2026 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £69.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 1 Certificate in Land-based Studies (0361-13)

Last Registration Date: 31 Aug 2027

Level 1 Certificate in Land-based Studies

Accreditation No: 603/3596/8 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: VRQ This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: Data unavailable Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 200 - 200 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 250 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2028 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £114.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 1 Diploma in Land-based Studies (0361-14)

Last Registration Date: 31 Aug 2027

Level 1 Diploma in Land-based Studies (Agriculture and Environment)

Accreditation No: 603/3597/X This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: VRQ This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: Data unavailable Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 350 - 350 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 420 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2028 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £153.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 1 Diploma in Land-based Studies (Animal Care)

Accreditation No: 603/3597/X This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: VRQ This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: Data unavailable Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 350 - 350 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 420 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2028 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £153.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 1 Diploma in Land-based Studies (Floristry)

Accreditation No: 603/3597/X This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: VRQ This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: Data unavailable Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 350 - 350 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 420 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2028 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £153.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 1 Diploma in Land-based Studies (Horse Care)

Accreditation No: 603/3597/X This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: VRQ This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: Data unavailable Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 350 - 350 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 420 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2028 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £153.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 1 Diploma in Land-based Studies (Horticulture)

Accreditation No: 603/3597/X This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: VRQ This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: Data unavailable Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 350 - 350 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 420 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2028 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £153.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 1 Diploma in Land-based Studies (Non-endorsed)

Accreditation No: 603/3597/X This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: VRQ This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: Data unavailable Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 350 - 350 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 420 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2028 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £153.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Here you can find all documents related to this suite of qualifications.

By clicking on the section headings below, you can access a variety of documents such as the qualification handbooks and assessment materials, Statements of Purpose, and recognition letters from industry and employers.

Some documents may be password protected. Passwords can be retrieved by logging in to Walled Garden and visiting the Administration section of the relevant qualification catalogue page.

Interested in delivering this qualification?

Find out more about how to become an approved City & Guilds centre or fill out our online customer application form.

Land-based Studies (0361)