Horticulture Apprentice Crop Technician
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Company: BINSTED NURSERY LIMITED
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Location: West Sussex, PO22 0AL
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Type: Apprenticeship
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Salary: £25,857.00 per year
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Sector: Agriculture, environmental and animal care
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Ref: NAS-2000027421
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Application Deadline Date: 19/06/2026
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Start Date: 29/06/2026
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Positions Available: 1
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Working Week: Monday - Thursday, 8.00am - 4.45pm and Friday, 8.00am-3.45pm. Overtime as needed during the week and some weekends during peak despatch times in the spring. Weekend Watering Duties on a rota basis.
Brief Description
As an Apprentice Crop Technician you will learn all aspects of producing potted plants. You will rotate through placements in propagation, potting, growing and despatch teams to competently perform the standard tasks, to understand the different roles and how the teams interact to produce high quality plants.
Training to be Provided
Level 2 Awards in:
- Safe Use of Pesticides
On completion of the pesticides foundation unit above also choose one of the following units:
- Boom sprayer, mounted, trailed or self-propelled equipment
- Granular applicator equipment
- Handheld applicator equipment
- Level 3 award in Emergency First Aid at Work
- Candidates Aged 16-18 must have GCSE English and maths at Grade 4/C or above (if taking GCSEs this year, predicted grades must be at Pass level for maths and English)
- For candidates Aged 19+ (without GCSE English and maths), WCG will assess on an individual basis
Future Prospects
- Production Team Leader or Supervisor in Production, Despatch or Propagation, or a member of the Growing Team
Vacancy Detail
- Reporting to the Technical manager and supported day to day by site supervisors and the wider team
- Quarterly placements within each team
- The first year focussed on developing the practical skills required within each team
- Propagation - Taking and sticking cuttings, trimming stock plants to produce cutting material to schedule, sowing seed
- Potting - Preparing plugs for potting, working on potting line, laying plants down in growing areas
- Growing - Monitoring crops in set area, irrigation, pest and disease checks, monitoring the environment, ensuring cultural activities carried out to agreed standard including trimming, weeding, feeding, spacing, spraying (qualification part of apprenticeship programme)
- Despatch - Selecting plants that fulfil specification, working on line to prepare plant to optimum condition and insert carecard, loading trolleys
- The second year’s rotation designed to challenge, to build on the first year knowledge and achieve greater depth
- Where practical this may include some tasks with additional responsibility and /or leading small teams
Other Information
You will be working at two sites.
Binsted Nursery, Lake Lane, Barnham, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 0AL
Binsted Nursery, Binsted Lane, Binsted, West Sussex, BN18 0LL
Role involves working outside or under protected greenhouse structures where temperatures fluctuate with ambient weather conditions through the year. Need to be reasonably fit as role involves manual labour and walking around large sites. All crops are grown on the floor, regular bending to undertake essential tasks.