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ELTHAM College Diploma of Permaculture

The ELTHAM College Diploma of Permaculture

(30870QLD) course focuses on designing for the

challenges of peak oil, climate change and the

development of sustainable communities. Course

work combines design, a scientific approach and

practical application with ingenuity and imagination.

The course will include completion of the unit of study

known as a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) so

that students can benefit from opportunities for which

a PDC is required. It also covers a wide range of

activities, skills and topics and includes several field

excursions and site visits to permaculture properties

all over the state. Practical work will include real

projects and provide an opportunity to work with

clients as often as possible. This course has access to

some of the most well-known permaculture people

and properties and is proud to offer students a rich

and rewarding journey.

If you are seriously interested in designing a

sustainable future through research, detailed design

work, practical skill development and intelligent

enquiry, then this could be the special career you

have been looking for.

Career outcomes

The Diploma of Permaculture is designed to provide

skills in permaculture systems design and consulting;

project management for permaculture and

community development programs; and management

of permaculture enterprises. It is designed to provide

a broad knowledge of permaculture principles and

practices, and to permit students to apply this

knowledge to project supervision and

implementation.

Students may gain employment as a project manager

or consultant within permaculture, agriculture,

horticulture or land management industries.

Graduates of the Diploma of Permaculture have

successfully pursued careers in education, food

retailing and distribution, and permaculture design,

including establishment of their own business.

The student group

The Diploma of Permaculture is a high level

vocational education program for adult learners. The

group typically includes people from a wide range of

backgrounds and ages, with a variety of life

experiences and aims in undertaking the program.

The study group will comprise around 16 to 18 full

time students, who will progress through all three

semesters together. Small numbers of part time

students may also be involved.

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Diploma students form a close knit but diverse group,

and the course is designed to facilitate group learning

wherever possible. While assessment is necessarily

on an individual basis, many study tasks are

undertaken collaboratively, and may involve students

in other Diploma groups, or the Certificate III

secondary school program as well.

Course facilities

ELTHAM College is located on a 25 hectare site in the

rolling hills of Research in Melbourne’s northeast. The

site houses the secondary school and playing fields,

an extensive nature reserve and the Swiper’s Gully

site where most of the permaculture program

activities occur.

Swipers Gully Hospitality and Viticulture

Centre

The centre includes vineyards, a Hospitality Training

Centre, including a commercial kitchen and fully

equipped modern classroom, and the permaculture

workshop, hothouse and garden.

Art room

Drawing and design classes are held in a properly

equipped art room on the secondary school campus.

Library

Students can borrow books and other resources from

the college library, and computer facilities are

available for students’ use at the library also.

While on the school campus, including Swipers Gully,

students are requested to observe the rules and

protocols applicable to secondary school students,

and are required to wear student ID at all times.

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Program structure

Full time students attend classes on 3 days per week, and the course length is 3 semesters. Most classes

commence at 8:45 and conclude at 3:45. Punctuality is a requirement of the course, and please note that

assessment for all units is partly predicated on minimum attendance.

Part-time options are available, and students may apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

There are three tuition “streams”, each generally held on a specific day of the week in a specific classroom:

Stream Attendance day for 2013 intake Main location

Permaculture theory and

community development

Mondays Hospitality Centre Training room

Practical skills and project

implementation

Wednesdays Swipers Gully workshop and garden

Design and drawing Thursdays School art room

Units of Competency Covered (11 units to achieve the qualification)

QLD124PPP01B Provide advice on permaculture principles and practices (CORE) Semester 1

QLD124DES02B Design a rural permaculture system Semester 1

QLD124BIO06C Identify and analyse bioregional characteristics and resources Semester 1

QLD125PLA03B Develop a strategic plan for a permaculture project or enterprise Semester 2

QLD125BUI09B Design permaculture structures and features Semester 2

QLD125DES02C Design an integrated permaculture system (CORE) Semester 2

QLD125RCH01B Carry out permaculture field research Semester 2 - 3

QLD125PLA05B Plan and supervise the implementation of permaculture works Semester 2 - 3

QLD125COM10B Prepare a sustainable community and bioregional development strategy Semester 3

QLD125COM11B Facilitate participatory planning and learning activities Semester 3

QLD125COM12B Plan community governance and decision-making processes Semester 3

Assessment is via a combination of written assignments and practical work. Students are required to maintain a

journal of their study and research activities, and satisfactory completion of the course will require home based

study.

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The tuition streams follow a general theme for each semester of study:

Tuition stream Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3

Permaculture theory and

community development

Introduction to

Permaculture,

incorporating PDC

syllabus

Strategic planning

Scientific method

Botany and biology

Community

development

Governance and

decision making

Participatory planning

and learning Design and drawing Introduction to

architectural drawing

and surveying

Construction

drawings and

elevations

3D drawings

Practical skills and project

implementation

Land based

permaculture

Structures and

construction skills

Project implementation and

supervision

Field study trips

The course includes a number of study trips.

Each semester students make an extended trip of 2-3 days to

country Victoria, which may include students in the previous

or following Diploma group, or the Certificate III students.

There are also a number of day trips to permaculture sites in

and around Melbourne.

Accommodation for overnight trips is usually camping, and

transport for all excursions is by public transport or student

car pooling.

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Trainers

The Diploma program has a core team of qualified trainers.

Our trainers are passionate about permaculture and sustainability, and share a belief that sustainability education

is at the core of creating resilient communities and food sovereignty.

The core training team also undertake all student assessment for the Diploma program.

Drew Barr

Drew came to permaculture when his wife did a PDC and he decided on a mid-life career

change. He left his job in the finance industry and enrolled in the Diploma of Permaculture.

Drew is the trainer for our structures and construction skills sessions, as well as some

strategic planning, scientific method, and project implementation and supervision sessions.

Drew has a Masters Degree in History and Philosophy of Science, a Certificate IV in Training

and Assessment, and a Diploma of Permaculture. He lives in Wattle Glen with his family, their

permaculture garden, and a number of chooks, ducks and old tools.

Travis Heenan

Trav fell in love with permaculture about 5 years ago. Since then he has been setting up

orchards and vegetable gardens in Melbourne, as well as teaching permaculture at ELTHAM

and other training organisations.

Trav is the lead trainer for our practical skills sessions, and our introduction to permaculture

sessions. Trav has a Degree in Psychology, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, and

will soon complete his Diploma in Permaculture. He lives in Healesville on a rambling

permaculture farm with his partner and young son.

Kat Lavers

Kat is a permaculture designer, trainer and facilitator, who teaches sustainability related

courses across Australia for Monash University, and facilitates our sessions on community

development, transition towns, governance, and participatory planning and learning. Kat was

an initiator of Transition Darebin and is a volunteer coordinator with Melbourne's Permablitz

network.

Kat lives in Northcote in 'The Plummery', a bountiful small-scale urban permaculture site of

just 1/14th of an acre.

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Virginia Solomon

Virginia has been teaching permaculture for the past 10 years, and has been instrumental in

the development of the Diploma program at ELTHAM. She has a background in landscape

design, conference management and training and was one of the key drivers in the

development of Accredited Permaculture Training. She teaches the Design and Drawing

component of the course and mentors the other core trainers.

Virginia lives in Melbourne in a sprawling extended family home with her husband, three adult

children, her parents and an assortment of pets and livestock. Her passions include cheese-

making, preserving, patchwork, felting, basket-making, and of course, gardening.

The core team is complemented by visiting teachers who include well-known permaculture trainers such as:

Peter Allen

Rick Coleman

Graeme George

Adam Grubb

Joel Meadows

Caroline Smith

Course requirements

Students will provide for all their standard stationary

needs, and should ensure they have a USB thumb

drive. As part of the course tuition, students are

required to maintain a written journal, and students

should obtain a suitable sturdy writing book for this

purpose.

Course materials are provided through a secure

eLearning system, hosted by the College. Students

will be provided with a student logon to the College

server, and will be able to access the eLearning

system as well as their network drive remotely.

For the design and drawing stream, students will be

required to provide their own drawing equipment. A

list will be provided when enrolment is accepted.

For the practical skills and project implementation

stream, students will need the following equipment

and safety items:

Boots with a steel toe cap

Good quality gardening gloves

Secateurs

Hat with a broad brim and chin-strap

Waterproof clothing for wet weather

For practical skills days, students are required to

dress for safety, including keeping long hair tied up,

and avoiding loose clothing.

Applying for a place

Intake is limited, so please notify your interest by

completing the application form and returning it with

the Application Fee of $100. Application fees will be

deducted from Semester 1 fees if a place is accepted,

and refunded if a place is not offered. You will be

contacted to arrange an interview and places will be

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offered from November 2012, subject to the

interview process.

Enrolment

Once you have been offered a place (see

Application), you will be given an enrolment form and

an invoice according to your funding status. To take

up your place, the enrolment form must be lodged

and the first semester’s fees must be paid IN FULL

prior to commencing the course.

Fees & Charges

Course fees are as follows:

Course fees

Semester 1 $3,000

Semester 2 $3,000

Semester 3 $3,000

Government funded places are available to eligible

students. Please contact

permaculture@elthamcollege.vic.edu.au to discuss

options.

Further Information

For further information please contact the Course Co-

ordinator via email at

permaculture@elthamcollege.vic.edu.au. Current

students in the course have also established a blog at

www.beginningpermaculture.blogspot.com.