3410 Horticulture Worker - Gardener Apprenticeship Program

This apprenticeship program is a public / private partnership between the City and County of San Francisco, the Northern California District Council of Laborers, the Department of Apprenticeship Standards of the State of California, San Francisco City College, the Mayors' Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and Laborers', Local 261. It is a State of California certified program through the Department of Industrial Relations' Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

Successful participants will complete no less than 4000 hours of supervised on-the-job training in the field in addition to successful completion of the following 5 courses: OH 50 Introduction to Horticulture, OH 53 A/B Horticultural Landscape, OH 76/77 Plant Identification Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. All courses and instruction are provided by the City College of San Francisco's Department of Horticulture and Floristry. All classroom instruction is in addition to work hours and unpaid.

Candidates for this apprenticeship must possess a superior work ethic, the desire to work with and for the public at large, the ability to follow directives and complete assigned tasks, a professional appearance, attention to detail and the ability to work alone and in groups. Their focus should be towards stewardship of the land and its resources, preservation and improvement of the City and County parks and green spaces, sustainability and leaving a lasting legacy.

The inaugural class of 10 apprentices was launched December 13th 2010 at the Recreation and Park Department. This class is based out of the nursery within Golden Gate Park and works Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. The apprentices work a 40 hour week with a starting wage of $13.26 per hour. Raises are given at 5% increments per 500 hours worked, with a maximum rate of $23.60 per hour. Apprentices agree to be available to work all days and hours based on department need and assignment. Availability and attendance of night classes at the City College of San Francisco is also required.

Further information and photos can be found on the blog

John R. Raulli
Apprenticeship Coordinator
415-242-6375
john.raulli@sfgov.org