RecordMove

Landscape architect to landscape designer

A landscape architect already meets 30% of what the landscape designer role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From landscape architect

Distant match

To landscape designer

12 You already bring

14 Still to learn

41 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73.7/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a landscape designer is expected to do is already part of a landscape architect’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the landscape designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A landscape designer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a landscape architect already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

create landscape designs
develop architectural plans
ecology
landscape analysis
landscape architecture
manage landscape design projects

What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A landscape designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a landscape architect background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held landscape analysis engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held create landscape designs communication, collaboration and creativity
already held manage landscape design projects management skills
already held lead hard landscape projects management skills
already held landscaping materials agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
already held landscape architecture engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 12 carried skills, including the 6 the landscape designer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 29 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn environmental design required
still to learn landscape architectural instruments required
still to learn surveying methods required
still to learn topography required

optional, not held green building standards optional
optional, not held principles of landscape construction optional
optional, not held rainwater management optional
optional, not held building codes optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn make drawings required
still to learn advise supervisors required

optional, not held work independently in landscaping optional
optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
optional, not held create solutions to problems optional

03 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 2 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn plant disease control required
still to learn pest control in plants required

optional, not held horticultural design optional
optional, not held agronomy optional

04 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn perform studies and field investigation required
still to learn review construction plans authorisations required

optional, not held keep task records optional

05 assisting and caring 2 required

still to learn inspect project regulations required
still to learn perform pest control required

06 arts and humanities 1 required

still to learn design principles required

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a landscape designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 12 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held create landscape designs skill
already held develop architectural plans skill
already held ecology knowledge
already held landscape analysis knowledge
already held landscape architecture knowledge
already held manage landscape design projects skill
already held characteristics of plants knowledge
already held green building practices knowledge
already held horticulture principles knowledge
already held landscaping materials knowledge
already held lead hard landscape projects skill
already held plant species knowledge

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 handling and moving 1 required

still to learn perform weed control operations required

08 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 supplementary

optional, not held botany optional
optional, not held forest ecology optional

09 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held green logistics optional

10 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held manage rainwater optional

11 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held make decisions regarding landscaping optional

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held work independently in landscaping optional
optional, not held botany optional
optional, not held green building standards optional
optional, not held horticultural design optional
optional, not held make decisions regarding landscaping optional
optional, not held manage rainwater optional
optional, not held principles of landscape construction optional
optional, not held rainwater management optional
optional, not held agronomy optional
optional, not held building codes optional
optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
optional, not held forest ecology optional
optional, not held green logistics optional
optional, not held keep task records optional

40 held skills the landscape designer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on landscapes skill
not needed by the target role advise on soil and water protection skill
not needed by the target role aesthetics knowledge
not needed by the target role architecture regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
not needed by the target role build a product's physical model skill
not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role communicate with local residents skill
not needed by the target role conduct land surveys skill
not needed by the target role coordinate construction activities skill
not needed by the target role create GIS reports skill
not needed by the target role create thematic maps skill
not needed by the target role design landscape schemes skill
not needed by the target role design spatial layout of outdoor areas skill
not needed by the target role energy efficiency knowledge
not needed by the target role energy performance of buildings knowledge
not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
not needed by the target role flower and plant products knowledge
not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
not needed by the target role forest conservation knowledge
not needed by the target role green space strategies knowledge
not needed by the target role historic architecture knowledge
not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
not needed by the target role integrate measures in architectural designs skill
not needed by the target role landscape design knowledge
not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
not needed by the target role operate landscaping equipment skill
not needed by the target role promote sustainability skill
not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
not needed by the target role provide technical expertise skill
not needed by the target role soil structure knowledge
not needed by the target role specify landscape design components skill
not needed by the target role urban planning knowledge
not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
not needed by the target role use geographic information systems skill
not needed by the target role use manual draughting techniques skill
not needed by the target role use technical drawing software skill
not needed by the target role zero-energy building design knowledge
not needed by the target role zoning codes knowledge

16 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn environmental design required
still to learn landscape architectural instruments required
still to learn plant disease control required
still to learn surveying methods required
still to learn topography required
still to learn design principles required
still to learn pest control in plants required
optional, not held botany optional
optional, not held green building standards optional
optional, not held horticultural design optional
optional, not held principles of landscape construction optional
optional, not held rainwater management optional
optional, not held agronomy optional
optional, not held building codes optional
optional, not held forest ecology optional
optional, not held green logistics optional

Index

Other moves recorded from landscape architect

Full index of moves from landscape architect

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a landscape architect become a landscape designer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A landscape architect already covers 30% of what a landscape designer is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 6 of which the landscape designer role treats as required.

What skills does a landscape architect need to become a landscape designer?

14 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is make drawings.

How hard is the move from landscape architect to landscape designer?

Its learning distance is 73.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.