Apprentice Grounds Maintenance Operative

About The Role

• We offer a Real Living Wage salary of £25,877.80 per annum.
• 37 hour per week 
• 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays a total of 40 days paid holiday per annum which is equivalent to 8 weeks.
• Salary Finance - access both short and long terms loans, plus provides access to a savings facility.
• Opportunity to further increase annual leave with service or though the holiday purchase scheme.
• Immediate entry to our Pension scheme (matched contributions up to 10%)
• A great flexible working environment, with a range of family friendly policies.
• Simply Health cash plan with financial benefits and the option to extend to your family. Cover includes dental, optical, physiotherapy, 24HR private GP access and much more.
• Paid leave for absence including sickness, maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
• Access of up to £150 annually through the ‘Learning for life’ scheme.
• Access to a wide range of discounts and cash back offers, ranging from retail and automotive to holidays and cycle to work scheme.
• Develop your career with support and access to training and qualifications.
• 2 paid half days volunteering per year.

About the role
This is a fantastic opportunity to start or build your career in ground maintenance while making a real difference to the communities we serve.
 As part of our team, you’ll play a hands-on role in maintaining and enhancing our green spaces, helping to create attractive, safe and welcoming environments for our customers to enjoy every day. From routine maintenance to improvement projects, your work will have a visible impact across our schemes and estates.
Alongside your day-to-day role, you’ll also be supported to develop your skills and knowledge through a Level 2 Landscape and Horticulture qualification with Skills England, giving you a strong foundation for a long-term career in the sector.
If you enjoy working outdoors, take pride in high-quality work, and want to learn and grow in a supportive environment, this could be the perfect role for you.
You can find more about the qualification here:  Horticulture or landscape construction operative / Skills England
Please see below regarding entry requirements:
Must have the right to work in England & spend at least 50% of their working hours in England over the duration of the apprenticeship.
Must be a citizen of a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) or have the right of abode in the UK AND have been ordinarily resident in the EEA for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning.
Typically, an applicant will have attained a minimum of 4 GCSE grades D/E or 2/3 including both Maths and English. Functional Skills Level 1 will be accepted as an alternative to GCSEs.
A full UK driving license is mandatory to be achieved by the end of the apprenticeship.
Key Responsibilities
Delivery

• To assist in undertaking site-based grounds maintenance and horticultural related tasks on estates and schemes to Onward specifications and agreed timescales.
• To assist in carrying out grass cutting, shrub pruning, weed control and the removal of litter along with responsive ad-hoc estate work as required e.g., fly tip removal, graffiti cleansing or target hardening. 

Customer Service

• As a front facing ambassador for the company, act in a professional manner while upholding Onward values, aims and objectives. 

Quality

• Deliver works to a high standard consistently. 

Records

• Ensure all works reporting and safety procedures are followed, and record keeping is both accurate and professional. 

Health and Safety

• Help ensure all work is to the highest standards of health and safety and assist with the promotion of a positive safety-first culture. Ensure all operations are compliant with industry legislation.

Work equipment

• Assist with routine maintenance checks of plant, equipment, and machinery. Ensure the safety and security of assigned machinery and equipment is maintained.

Skills/Experience
Essential:

• Interest in grounds maintenance and gardening.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Good communication skills – written and verbal.
• The ability to demonstrate great teamwork.
• The ability to follow procedures and provide performance data of operations.

Qualifications
Essential:

• Minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade C/4 including Maths and English OR a Vocational qualification Level 1 NB: English & Maths Functional Skills Level 1 will be accepted as an alternative to GCSEs.

Desirable:

• Horticulture qualification.
• Full UK Driving Licence.
• Experience of working within grounds maintenance or gardening sector.
• Health and Safety awareness qualification or similar

About The Organisation
About Onward
Onward Homes is one of the largest registered providers of social housing in the Northwest, with 35,000 properties across the region.
We believe that everyone deserves a place to call their own, which is why we’re committed to building 500 new homes each year. We do more than just provide a roof over our customers’ heads, we’re here to make a real difference.
In addition to creating positive spaces for our customers we continuously strive to create a positive and progressive workspace to enable our colleagues to achieve their full potential.
We embrace diversity and strive for diverse teams to create an inclusive culture which enables Onward to thrive and be representative of the communities that we serve. We want to ensure that everybody has an opportunity to be part of our recruitment processes and will therefore make reasonable adjustments to accommodate our candidates. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you with our recruitment process via the email address below.
If candidates have any concerns / questions in relation to the role at any stage of the recruitment and selection process they can contact the HR team on HumanResourcesTeam@onward.co.uk and a member of the HR Team will be in touch.
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