Apprentice Gardener - University of Oxford Estates Services - University Parks
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Company: University of Oxford
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Location: Oxford, OX1 3RF
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Type: Apprenticeship
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Salary: £26,686.00 per year
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Sector: Agriculture, environmental and animal care
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Ref: NAS-2000028097
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Application Deadline Date: 15/05/2026
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Start Date: 17/08/2026
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Positions Available: 3
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Working Week: Please note, this is an 18 month apprenticeship within a 2 year fixed term contract. Monday - Friday / regular daytime hours to be agreed.
Brief Description
If you have a passion for plants, then working for the Parks team is definitely for you. The Parks has a strong horticultural history with a team of skilled and experienced gardeners, horticulturists and tree specialists who work hard to deliver timely and effective services to the University, Colleges and private customers.
Training to be Provided
Duration:
- 15 months practical training period, plus 3 months for End Point Assessment
Delivery model:
- Work-based training with your employer
- Approximately 12 on-site assessment visits per year
- 14 days college attendance to complete Horticulture Principles and Practice course
- 1 day college attendance to complete Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid course
- 2 days college attendance to complete Level 2 PA1 Pesticides course (theory)
- 2 days college attendance to complete Level 2 PA6 Pesticides course (practical)
- Level 1 Functional Skills in maths and English (7 days at college for each, if required)
- Off the job training will count for at least 6 hours a week of an apprentice’s time at work
Qualifications included:
- Level 1 Functional Skills in English and maths
- Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid
- Level 2 PA1/PA6 Pesticides
- Level 2 Horticulture Operative Apprenticeship
End Point Assessment:
- Knowledge test
- Practical assessment
- Professional discussion
Future Prospects
- Our apprentices are never on their own and you will benefit from a supportive environment working in collaboration with the rest of our committed team
- You will also be supported by the central apprenticeship team and you will join our growing network of apprentices within the university. You will have the opportunity to become an apprenticeship ambassador for the University and region
- Over 80% of our apprentices continue with us in the role they have been trained for after their Apprenticeship and that is just the start of their career
Vacancy Detail
As an Apprentice Gardener you will gain hands-on experience in a variety of horticultural activities as well as receiving formal college based training to industry standards.
You will learn to carry out all forms of garden maintenance, grass and turf care, plant propagation, hard and soft landscaping. The department holds an extensive plant collection, which you will have the opportunity to work with. There is an extensive range of horticultural equipment that you will be taught to use in the course of the apprenticeship.
We take pride in what we do and work on a wide range of sites, some of which are the most idyllic in Oxford and are appreciated and admired by many.
The Apprentice Gardener position is the gateway to a successful and rewarding career in professional horticulture.
- Responsibilities:
During the course of the Apprenticeship you will learn the following aspects of horticulture:
- Grounds maintenance – under supervision you will learn mechanical weed control, border maintenance, cultivations, sweeping, litter collecting and hedge trimming, basic site clearance
- Supervised by experienced colleagues you will learn use of power equipment for mowing to include cylinder, rotary and flail mowers both ride on and pedestrian, and cultivators and power hand tools
- Identification of a broad range of plants, your knowledge will increase over the course of the apprenticeship
As you become more experienced you will:
- Learn more detailed border maintenance, pruning, staking, and hedge maintenance
- Develop your knowledge of grass maintenance to include scarification, topdressing and over seeding, aeration, turf laying and lifting, selective weed-killing and moss control, as well as developing knowledge and skills around landscape work, general weed-killing and nursery work
The University Parks team has care of the University Parks and all the University’s green functional estate. This includes the open spaces around all University departmental buildings. University Parks also runs a substantial contract business that accounts for at least half of all activity.
Other Information
BEFORE APPLYING FOR THIS ROLE, PLEASE VISIT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD JOBS PAGE AND READ THE FULL ADVERT AND ACCOMPANYING JOB DESCRIPTION AS THIS PROVIDES DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE ROLE - JOB REFERENCE 185157. Training is delivered at Abingdon & Witney College Common Leys Farm Campus in Hailey, Near Witney and also during alternate weeks at Abingdon Campus. Any new person applying for apprenticeship roles where Abingdon and Witney College deliver the training will be required to complete a series of initial assessments (required prior to any apprenticeship offer), completion of essential paperwork. As a new Apprenticeship applicant, you will only have to undergo this process once. If you would like to talk to us about the assessments, please call us on 01235 216216. Qualification checks: By applying for this vacancy, you are giving Abingdon and Witney College permission to undertake a Learner Record Service check on your previous qualifications. We make every effort to ensure that applicants from non-traditional academic backgrounds or those who may not have the formal GCSE entry requirements can access apprenticeships where possible.