Horticulture Operative
Location: Denham, Buckinghamshire
Salary: £21,840 per annum
Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday, starting at 7.30am.
The Forward Trust are a leading provider of Information, Advice and Guidance services (careers advice) in prisons to the Matrix Standard delivering a wider range of vocational training, apprenticeships, enterprise and employability services in the community and prisons.
Amenity Landscaping is a social enterprise owned by the Forward Trust and within our Employment Services Division. We also own Blue Sky Services, which also undertake Ground Maintenance work.
Amenity Landscaping delivers gardening and horticultural services on behalf of domestic property owners, social property owners and other partners.
Amenity Landscaping employs people with lived experience including ex-offenders, people in recovery and the unemployed or NEET. All staff are employed on Forward Trust terms and conditions.
What you will be doing?
As a Horticulture Operative, the Lead Gardener will assist you with undertaking your duties and day-to-day activities under close supervision. These will include:
All general gardening and horticulture activities as they relate to the season, to include:
- Border maintenance: Weeding, dead-heading, reducing foliage, turning soil;
- Hedge and shrub pruning and maintenance;
- Lawn care: Mowing, edging, raking/scarifying.
- General maintenance of external spaces: Blowing/sweeping, weeding, tidying
- Assisting your team with fulfilling customers' gardening requests
- Assist the Team Leader with customer interaction; learning good customer service
- Maintaining tools and equipment: Keeping tools clean and in good working order, oiling, sharpening, re-fueling, etc.
- Seasonal activities such as lifting & splitting herbaceous perennials, mulching, etc.
- Lawn care
- General gardening activities at your Team Leader's discretion, giving you the flexibility and to use and further develop your skill as a horticulture Operative/gardener.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for people who are interested in working outdoors, with an interest in the environment and working as part of a team. The post holder will enjoy undertaking manual work in different types of weather and starting work early (often by 7.30am) and finishing by 3.30pm.
The work can be hard but you will eventually be working with an experienced team of colleagues and we work on different sites in London and Hertfordshire, so every day is a bit a different.
We encourage applications from either ex-offenders, those at risk of offending or have been in trouble with the police or in recovery and unemployed.
The successful candidate must have the following qualifications & skills:
- Be motivated to learn the gardening profession and have a keen interest in horticulture.
- Be reliable, self-motivated, and shows initiative while working; be a good team player.
- Respectful of customers and team members with a mature attitude to receiving feedback
- Highly desired: A full UK driving license
What we offer
- Use of Company vehicle for business purposes
- Access to Simply Health insurance policy
- Training opportunities and career development
- Season Ticket Loan Scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
- Contributory Pension Scheme - Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years' service and up to 9% thereafter
- Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
- Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)
- 3 x Health and Wellbeing days
- Crisis Loan Scheme
- Electric Car Scheme
To Apply
If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.