Apprentice Garden Technician
LAZY DAYS GARDENING SERVICES LTD
Ripley (DE5 8NE)
Closes in 23 days (Friday 29 August 2025 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 6 August 2025
Contents
Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Lazy Days Gardening Services as an Apprentice Garden Technician. Lazy Days Gardening Services is a fast-growing family-owned gardening and landscaping company based in Derbyshire, dedicated to delivering the highest level of professional and knowledgeable garden services.
- Wage
-
£13,260 a year
- Training course
- Horticulture or landscape construction operative (level 2)
- Hours
-
Tuesday to Friday 8am to 4.30pm. Additional hours may be required to be worked to complete a job on time. Max 40 hours a week with overtime. 30 minutes unpaid lunch.
30 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 30 September 2025
- 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
The company are currently seeking a hardworking, team-oriented and dedicated individual to join their small team. The ideal candidate will have a passion for horticulture and outdoor spaces. The varied role will involve caring for plants, maintaining garden aesthetics, ensuring the overall health of the client’s gardens, whilst also working on soft and hard landscaping projects.
Tasks may include, but are not limited to:
- Maintaining landscapes, including plants, trees, borders, lawns and hedges, as well as maintaining other garden elements such as patio jet-washing and general tidying tasks such as leaf clearance.
- Using power tools and hand tools safely to create and maintain landscapes, for tasks such as planting, pruning, mowing, weeding and debris clearance.
- Soft and hard landscaping projects, such as turf laying, planting, border installations and patio laying.
- Working as part of a team to complete projects on time and to a high standard.
- The candidate must show willingness and flexibility to carry out a wide variety of tasks, which may not be listed above, in order to meet the demands of the customer and the company.
Where you'll work
38 Street Lane
Denby
Ripley
DE5 8NE
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
DCG
Training course
Horticulture or landscape construction operative (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- (Core) Apply health and safety processes and procedures including risk assessments and or construction design management (CDM), manual handling, legislative requirements and organisational policies. Follow safe systems of work and safety information in line with employer requirements or site context (for example clearing their route before transporting materials).
- (Core) Apply environmental mitigation measures including storage and disposal of waste, for example sorting materials for recycling or composting, acting in compliance with legal requirements, organisational policies and pollution controls.
- (Core) Select, undertake a pre start check, set up, clean, store and safely operate tools, equipment and machinery (including pedestrian controlled and handheld) in line with current legislation and business policies.
- (Core) Communicate with technical (for example supervisors or managers) and non-technical audiences (for example clients or the public) using language appropriate to the audience.
- (Core) Identify plants commonly grown in the UK by scientific names including genus species and or cultivar.
- (Core) Maintain the correct phytosanitary and bio-security procedures for the site, in accordance with legal requirements.
- (Core) Identify and report symptoms and or signs of commonly found UK plant pests, pathogens and disorders.
- (Core) Maintain plant health for example providing for basic needs such as water, nutrition (either organic or inorganic), light.
- (Core) Cultivate, improve and preserve soils by mechanical methods and or by hand including amelioration and mulching (these might be imported or natural).
- (Core) Clear unwanted vegetation, selecting techniques to be used (for example weeding).
- (Core) Remove unwanted or damaged growth from plants using a pruning cut.
- (Core) Plant shrubs and a tree using a simple tree pit.
- (Core) Install turf for situation.
- (Core) Mow turf using pedestrian controlled powered driven mower.
- (Core) Maintain or protect hard surfaces, features or structures for example painting, re-gravelling, removing weeds from paving, drain clearance, cleaning.
- (Core) Use digital tools and techniques for research, collaboration, continuous professional development and resolution of problems.
- (Landscape construction) Measure and set out an uncomplicated site in preparation for landscape construction activities.
- (Landscape construction) Use free hand cutting and or bench cutting of hard landscape materials using abrasive wheels.
- (Landscape construction) Repair constructed landscape features (simple and noncomplex) for example re-grouting, re-sanding, damaged fencing.
- (Landscape construction) Construct paved feature for example path, patio or shed base. Including setting levels, sub bases, laying bases, finishing.
- (Landscape construction) Construct vertical landscape features including fences, ornamental vertical features, and walls.
- (Landscape construction) Install drainage in landscaping.
- (Landscape construction) Construct horizontal landscape features (excluding paving).
- (Horticulture) Propagate plants by cuttings and seed sowing (this might be indoors or outdoors). Including selection of suitable growing media and or soil.
- (Horticulture) Provide aftercare to recently installed turf and maintain established turf or species rich meadows including irrigation, maintenance, monitoring health and protection from use.
- (Horticulture) Identify if plants are suitable to site, purpose and aesthetics.
- (Horticulture) Maintain soft landscapes for example - staking or support, division, seasonal clearance, and re-planting.
- (Horticulture) Monitor and control plant pests, pathogens, and disorders using basic control methods (including application of chemicals or organic equivalents).
- (Horticulture) Plant herbaceous and seasonal planting (for example bedding, herbs or bulbs).
- (Horticulture) Prune plants to achieve healthy growth and form (including natural habit and formal or trained form).
- (Core) Apply health and safety processes and procedures including risk assessments and or construction design management (CDM), manual handling, legislative requirements and organisational policies. Follow safe systems of work and safety information in line with employer requirements or site context (for example clearing their route before transporting materials).
- (Core) Apply environmental mitigation measures including storage and disposal of waste, for example sorting materials for recycling or composting, acting in compliance with legal requirements, organisational policies and pollution controls.
- (Core) Select, undertake a pre start check, set up, clean, store and safely operate tools, equipment and machinery (including pedestrian controlled and handheld) in line with current legislation and business policies.
- (Core) Communicate with technical (for example supervisors or managers) and non-technical audiences (for example clients or the public) using language appropriate to the audience.
- (Core) Identify plants commonly grown in the UK by scientific names including genus species and or cultivar.
- (Core) Maintain the correct phytosanitary and bio-security procedures for the site, in accordance with legal requirements.
- (Core) Identify and report symptoms and or signs of commonly found UK plant pests, pathogens and disorders.
- (Core) Maintain plant health for example providing for basic needs such as water, nutrition (either organic or inorganic), light.
- (Core) Cultivate, improve and preserve soils by mechanical methods and or by hand including amelioration and mulching (these might be imported or natural).
- (Core) Clear unwanted vegetation, selecting techniques to be used (for example weeding).
- (Core) Remove unwanted or damaged growth from plants using a pruning cut.
- (Core) Plant shrubs and a tree using a simple tree pit.
- (Core) Install turf for situation.
- (Core) Mow turf using pedestrian controlled powered driven mower.
- (Core) Maintain or protect hard surfaces, features or structures for example painting, re-gravelling, removing weeds from paving, drain clearance, cleaning.
- (Core) Use digital tools and techniques for research, collaboration, continuous professional development and resolution of problems.
Training schedule
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 2/E or above/equivalent)
- Maths (grade 2/E or above/equivalent)
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
- Customer care skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Strong work ethic
- Dedication
- Willingness to learn
- Excellent physical stamina
- Enthusiasm
- Positive mental attitude
- Time management
Other requirements
The location of this apprenticeship is varied, but typically within a 12-mile radius of postcode DE5. The candidate must have a flexible, positive attitude towards work. The role will involve working outside in all weather conditions and heavy lifting. The candidate must therefore have good physical stamina and resilience. The candidate must be able to either get to job sites or to the company’s home address (working hours exclude travel time and start from arrival at the job site). If we are interested in taking your application further, you will receive an email from a Derby College email address (@derby-college.ac.uk). Please make sure that you check your inbox as well as your spam/junk folders, so you do not miss out on the opportunity to apply.
About this employer
Lazy Days Gardening Services are a specialist gardening and landscaping company based in Derbyshire, committed to maintaining and creating gardens to be proud of. Company Directors, Jack and Laura, are dedicated to delivering the highest level of professional services and developing long-lasting relationships with every customer. Passion for the outdoors means they provide outstanding services and always deliver the best results with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, consistently receiving 5-star customer reviews. The company believes in fostering a trusted relationship with all customers. The company holds the following trade qualifications: • LANTRA Site Survey, Set-Out and Preparation (learner ID 1056660) • LANTRA Natural Stone Paving (learner ID 1056660) • Safe Use of Pesticides (PA1 and PA6A) (certificate no. 816091) • Registered waste carrier license (registration no. CBDL397079) • RHS level 2 certificate in practical horticulture (pending exam results) They are also a registered member of Derbyshire County Council’s Trusted Trader Scheme. Whether customers are looking for garden maintenance services or a complete garden transformation, the company ethos is centred around listening to what customers truly want. The company works with their customers to bring their garden ideas to life, whilst providing professional recommendations and advice to ensure we achieve customer requirements and more.
https://lazydaysgardeningservices.com/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Statutory holiday allowance.
After this apprenticeship
- Further education and/or training (to be discussed with company).
- Gardening and landscaping roles.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
DCG
Lauren Stapleton
lauren.stapleton@derby-college.ac.uk
01332387420
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000335978.
Apply now
Closes in 23 days (Friday 29 August 2025 at 11:59pm)
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