Horticulture Apprentice Crop Technician

Summary

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.

Wage

£25,857 a year

National Minimum Wage

£12.75 an hour

Training course

Crop technician (level 3)

Hours

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.

39 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 1 September 2026

Duration

2 years

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

• 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

Where you'll work

Binsted Nursery
Lake Lane
Barnham
West Sussex
PO22 0AL

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

WARWICKSHIRE COLLEGE

Training course

Crop technician (level 3)

What you'll learn

• Identify and mitigate risks to promote and maintain health, safety and security. (Core)
• Manage accurate paper or digital records within the workplace. (Core)
• Maintain and operate machinery and equipment in accordance with manufacturer operating instructions. (Core)
• Maximise economic sustainability by optimising plant growth when carrying out operations. (Core)
• Establish crops to ensure efficient and sustainable growth. (Core)
• Operate vehicles in accordance with manufacturer operating instructions. (Core)
• Control pests, weeds and diseases using integrated pest management.  (Core)
• Apply and store pest management treatments in accordance with standard operating procedures, legislation and regulations. (Core)
• Carry out plant nutrient application or irrigation tasks required by the crop. (Core)
• Carry out harvesting and dispatch operations. (Core)
• Assess and monitor crops for quality, performance and specification requirements. (Core)
• Select harvesting techniques taking account of crop condition and quality requirements. (Core)
• Maintain biosecurity and hygiene practices in line with legislation, regulations and organisational requirements. (Core)
• Keep harvested crops in suitable conditions to maintain quality. (Core)
• Maintain soils or substrates to ensure sustainable, efficient and healthy growth. (Core)
• Sample and evaluate soil or substrate health to determine nutrition requirements. (Core)
• Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures relevant to own role. (Core)
• Participate in learning and CPD activities. (Core)
• Manage own time to achieve tasks to schedule. (Core)
• Consider different approaches to current working practices, identifying improvements, developments and innovative ideas. (Core)
• Set and monitor machinery performance to ensure good seed or plant establishment and crop growth. (Soil based)
• Set machinery and equipment taking into account the crop, environment, soil condition and specification requirements. (Soil based)
• Maintain non-productive areas. (Soil based)
• Assess the impact of machinery on soil structure and identify potential damage in accordance with legislation. (Soil based)
• Optimise growth conditions for crops, based on the specific needs of the plant relative to the environment. (Container based)
• Maintain productive and non-productive areas. (Container based)
• Plan for and carry out the removal of waste materials following harvest or dispatch. (Container based)
• Evaluate and select different growing mediums taking into account site conditions and production requirements. (Container based)
• Identify and mitigate risks to promote and maintain health, safety and security. (Core)
• Manage accurate paper or digital records within the workplace. (Core)
• Maintain and operate machinery and equipment in accordance with manufacturer operating instructions. (Core)
• Maximise economic sustainability by optimising plant growth when carrying out operations. (Core)
• Establish crops to ensure efficient and sustainable growth. (Core)
• Operate vehicles in accordance with manufacturer operating instructions. (Core)
• Control pests, weeds and diseases using integrated pest management.  (Core)
• Apply and store pest management treatments in accordance with standard operating procedures, legislation and regulations. (Core)
• Carry out plant nutrient application or irrigation tasks required by the crop. (Core)
• Carry out harvesting and dispatch operations. (Core)
• Assess and monitor crops for quality, performance and specification requirements. (Core)
• Select harvesting techniques taking account of crop condition and quality requirements. (Core)
• Maintain biosecurity and hygiene practices in line with legislation, regulations and organisational requirements. (Core)
• Keep harvested crops in suitable conditions to maintain quality. (Core)
• Maintain soils or substrates to ensure sustainable, efficient and healthy growth. (Core)
• Sample and evaluate soil or substrate health to determine nutrition requirements. (Core)
• Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures relevant to own role. (Core)
• Participate in learning and CPD activities. (Core)
• Manage own time to achieve tasks to schedule. (Core)
• Consider different approaches to current working practices, identifying improvements, developments and innovative ideas. (Core)

Training schedule

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

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English, Maths (grade C/4+)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Problem solving skills
• Presentation skills
• Number skills
• Team working
• Initiative
• Patience
• Physical fitness

Other requirements

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.