Agriculture and Nature Conservation Horticulture

Excavate Irrigation Trenches In Established Landscapes Training

SAQA US 119699 | NQF 2 | Credits 5 | Duration 2 Days
From $832 per delegate

Description

This course equips learners with the skills to safely and efficiently excavate irrigation trenches in established landscapes, minimizing disruption to existing vegetation and infrastructure. It covers planning, excavation techniques, and reinstatement procedures to ensure compliance with occupational health and safety standards.

Learning Outcomes

  • Plan trench routes and identify underground services to avoid damage
  • Apply safe excavation methods using hand tools and light machinery
  • Demonstrate correct shoring and sloping techniques to prevent collapse
  • Implement reinstatement procedures to restore landscape surfaces
  • Evaluate excavation sites for environmental and safety hazards

Target Audience

Ideal for landscape technicians, irrigation installers, and grounds maintenance staff who need to install or repair irrigation systems in existing gardens, parks, or sports fields.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Day 1: Fundamentals of Trench Excavation in Established Landscapes

Objectives:
• Understand the scope and requirements of Unit Standard 119699 for excavating irrigation trenches in established landscapes.
• Identify and interpret site plans, utility drawings, and environmental constraints.
• Apply safety protocols, including risk assessment and personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Select and use appropriate hand and power tools for trenching in confined or sensitive areas.
• Demonstrate manual excavation techniques that minimise damage to existing vegetation and infrastructure.

Topics:
• Overview of Unit Standard 119699 and learning outcomes
• Reading and interpreting site plans and utility locations
• Safety, risk assessment, and PPE requirements for trenching
• Types of excavation tools: spades, trenching shovels, pickaxes, mechanical trenchers
• Techniques for hand excavating in established landscapes: root avoidance, soil handling
• Environmental considerations: protecting trees, shrubs, and irrigation systems
• Basic soil types and their impact on excavation methods
• Practical session: marking trench lines and safe excavation practice

Day 2: Advanced Techniques and Practical Integration

Objectives:
• Plan and execute trench excavation with minimal disruption to established landscapes.
• Apply advanced techniques for crossing underground utilities and root systems.
• Backfill and restore the landscape to original condition after pipe installation.
• Perform quality checks and comply with industry standards and regulations.
• Work effectively in a team to complete a trench excavation project within time and safety constraints.

Topics:
• Advanced planning: sequencing excavation and coordinating with irrigation installation
• Techniques for trenching near roots: hand digging, air spade use, root pruning
• Crossing utilities: methods to avoid damage and ensure compliance
• Backfilling procedures: compaction, soil replacement, and turf restoration
• Quality assurance: checking trench depth, width, and alignment
• Environmental compliance: erosion control and waste management
• Teamwork and communication on site
• Practical assessment: excavate a trench in a simulated established landscape

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Tue 08 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $832 Register
Tue 29 Sep 2026 Wed 30 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $832 Register
Wed 21 Oct 2026 Thu 22 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $832 Register
Mon 07 Dec 2026 Tue 08 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $832 Register
Tue 12 Jan 2027 Wed 13 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $832 Register
Wed 17 Feb 2027 Thu 18 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $832 Register
Thu 04 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $832 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Tue 09 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $832 Register
Tue 16 Mar 2027 Wed 17 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $832 Register
Wed 09 Jun 2027 Thu 10 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $832 Register
Thu 01 Jul 2027 Fri 02 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $832 Register
Mon 19 Jul 2027 Tue 20 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $832 Register
Tue 07 Sep 2027 Wed 08 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $832 Register
Wed 29 Sep 2027 Thu 30 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $832 Register
Thu 21 Oct 2027 Fri 22 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $832 Register
Mon 06 Dec 2027 Tue 07 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $832 Register
Tue 28 Dec 2027 Wed 29 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $832 Register
Wed 19 Jan 2028 Thu 20 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $832 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 531 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Wed 24 Jun 2026 Thu 25 Jun 2026 Mbabane, Eswatini Winter 2026 $1,895 Register
Wed 24 Jun 2026 Thu 25 Jun 2026 Maseru, Lesotho Winter 2026 $1,895 Register
Wed 24 Jun 2026 Thu 25 Jun 2026 Windhoek, Namibia Winter 2026 $2,057 Register
Tue 30 Jun 2026 Wed 01 Jul 2026 Nairobi, Kenya Winter 2026 $2,813 Register
Tue 30 Jun 2026 Wed 01 Jul 2026 Mombasa, Kenya Winter 2026 $2,813 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Tue 15 Sep 2026 Wed 16 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,080 Register
Wed 07 Oct 2026 Thu 08 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,080 Register
Thu 29 Oct 2026 Fri 30 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,080 Register
Tue 15 Dec 2026 Wed 16 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,080 Register
Wed 20 Jan 2027 Thu 21 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,080 Register
Thu 25 Feb 2027 Fri 26 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,080 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Tue 09 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,080 Register
Tue 16 Mar 2027 Wed 17 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,080 Register
Wed 24 Mar 2027 Thu 25 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,080 Register
Thu 17 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,080 Register
Mon 05 Jul 2027 Tue 06 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,080 Register
Tue 27 Jul 2027 Wed 28 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,080 Register
Wed 15 Sep 2027 Thu 16 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,080 Register
Thu 07 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,080 Register
Mon 25 Oct 2027 Tue 26 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,080 Register
Tue 14 Dec 2027 Wed 15 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,080 Register
Wed 05 Jan 2028 Thu 06 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,080 Register
Thu 27 Jan 2028 Fri 28 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,080 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

View Sessions & Register Get A Quote Download Course Brochure
Have an account?

Sign in to track your applications and manage your cart.

Related Courses

Other Agriculture and Nature Conservation courses at NQF level 2 learners on this page also viewed.

Browse the full Agriculture and Nature Conservation category for agriculture and nature conservation training programmes.
GET A QUOTE / APPLY COURSE CATALOGUE