VIU的为期9个月的园艺技术员计划为学生提供了园艺领域的各种工作的准备，从园林绿化和景观设计，苗圃工作和温室生产到管理职位。该美化计划与其他园艺计划不同，因为它的很大一部分是在GR Paine园艺中心讲授的，该中心占地32英亩，靠近VIU的Nanaimo校园，学生可以在该校园种植被褥植物，观赏苗圃材料，本地植物和森林幼苗。学生们还在Qualicum海滩上占地70英亩的米尔纳花园（Milner Gardens）和伍德兰（Woodland）工作，该花园有一个向公众开放的成熟海滨花园。该园艺计划的大约50％是动
VIU's 9-month Horticulture Technician Program prepares students for a broad range of jobs in the horticulture field, from landscaping and landscape design, to nursery work and greenhouse production, to management positions. This landscaping program differs from other horticulture programs as large parts of it are taught at the G.R. Paine Horticultural Centre, a 32-acre site close to VIU's Nanaimo campus at which students grow bedding plants, ornamental nursery materials, native plants and forest seedlings. Students also work at Milner Gardens and Woodland, a 70-acre estate in Qualicum Beach with an established seaside garden that is open to the public. About 50 per cent of this horticultural program is hands-on training, including three months of paid work in the industry. The curriculum of this one-year horticultural foundation program has been designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of horticultural principles and practices. The program covers a broad spectrum of horticultural practices including plant propagation techniques, greenhouse production, nursery crop production, landscape design, landscape construction, and plant identification. As well, pest and disease management, pruning techniques, and maintenance practices are investigated. Throughout the program, special emphasis will be placed on many aspects of sustainable horticultural practices.