Crop Technician Apprentice
ADRIAN SCRIPPS LTD
Canterbury (CT3 1EL)
Closes in 21 days (Monday 25 August 2025 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 4 August 2025
Contents
Summary
A Fruit Production Apprenticeship on a top-fruit farm near Canterbury. An entry level position designed to train and develop a competent fruit operative. In-house training supported by a formal college apprenticeship.
- Wage
-
£25,396 a year
- Training course
- Crop technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
Shifts to be confirmed between the hours of 07:15 - 16:00 with one 15 minute and one 30 minute unpaid breaks.
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 15 September 2025
- Duration
-
1 year 10 months
- 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
On a fruit farm growing apples, blackcurrants and grapes in Wingham near Canterbury.
- Tractor driving, machinery operation and handwork including:
- Orchard spraying apples, pears, vines and blackcurrants
- Application of fertiliser and plant production products
- Operating a range of power-driven machinery
- Operating modern trickle feed irrigation systems
- Pruning and thinning
- General handwork such as canker management, sucker removal, and tree tying
- Harvest work, including forklift operation
- Routine and regular maintenance of equipment in line with company policy
- Opportunity to progress within the business for the right person
Where you'll work
Wenderton Farm
Wenderton Lane, Wingham
Canterbury
CT3 1EL
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
NORTH KENT COLLEGE
Training course
Crop technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- 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
Crop Technician Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard
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
North Kent College Hadlow Campus
1 day per month
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4/C)
- Maths (grade 4/C)
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
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Patience
- Physical fitness
- Time Keeping
- Honesty and Integrity
Other requirements
Working outdoors in all weather conditions. Based in Wingham, Near Canterbury. Due to the location, own transport would be required.
About this employer
Leading specialists in our field. Adrian Scripps Ltd are one of the UK’s premier growers and packers of English fruit. Sustainably farming 750 hectares on specially selected sites across Kent makes us one of the UK’s largest growers of Apples, Blackcurrants and Grapes. Our customers, our employees and our environment sit at the core of our business. Taking on his first farm tenancy over 60 years ago, Adrian Scripps could never have envisage how that small seed would have blossomed into the fruitful farms we are running today.
After this apprenticeship
We hope to keep the candidate on as a permanent worker once the apprenticeship has been completed
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
NORTH KENT COLLEGE
John Eves
johneves@northkent.ac.uk
01322629400
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000335300.
Apply now
Closes in 21 days (Monday 25 August 2025 at 11:59pm)
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