Role: Arable or Fruit Crafts Person
Location: Kent, Cambridgeshire and Herefordshire
Time: 2-year programme with 4 residential courses in one week blocks spent at Reaseheath College, Cheshire
Availability: Up to 8 vacancies
Salary: £10,000 plus overtime in Harvest season
We are looking for people who are passionate about fresh food and the outdoors and who want to become the future of farming. For us, farming is much more than growing food. It is about a sustainable business that cares for the environment, protects local wildlife and raises awareness about food. We are big in both arable and fruit farming, including potatoes, strawberries, cider apples and peas, all of which go into our stores. Our aim is to expand the range of foods we grow and provide high-quality British produce for our customers.
Qualification
The Co-operative Farms is working with Reaseheath College in Cheshire, who will be the training providers for the qualification. Reaseheath College is recognised as one of the leading land-based Colleges in the country and has an excellent reputation for the quality of its Further and Higher Education.
Once on the programme, you will get the chance to complete an agricultural qualification up to level 3, which you will have 2 to 3 years to complete, depending on your level of experience.
As required, you will carry out basic tasks under supervision on arable and fruit farms, as well as assisting in seasonal duties to ensure that crop production is maximised.
You need to be willing to develop new skills and attend regular residential training courses. This apprenticeship involves some physical work, along with occasional unsocial hours and work at weekends.
Development
Your 12-month apprenticeship is half of a 2-year training programme that includes 4 residential courses in one week blocks at Reaseheath College, Cheshire. You will develop a broad technical knowledge, and as one of Britain’s biggest farmers, you could have the opportunity to work with leading edge, highly sophisticated technology, such as auto-steering and GPS mapping (that’s where the tractors steer themselves) and trickle irrigation controlled via a mobile phone. We work closely with our food business and central marketing functions, offering broader career opportunities and progression than other employers in the industry. We also support and train our people so that they fulfil their potential.