Plant Health And Seeds Inspector – Imports – Apprenticeship

Plant Health and Seeds Inspector – Imports – Apprenticeship

Ref: 326692

Location: Sevington, Killingholme, Harwich, Felixstowe, Heathrow, Itchen Abbas (covering the South Coast including Portsmouth and Southampton)

Salary: £24,723

National - £24,723 London - £27,744 which is 90%. On successful completion of the apprenticeship salaries will increase to National £27,470 and London £30,827 which is 100%. Shift allowance is payable. The minimum shift allowance is 12.5% rising to 20% for night shifts.

Closing date: 11:55pm on Thursday 4 January 2024.

Job summary

You may never have heard of the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) but you may have heard of Defra – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. APHA is part of the Defra Group and our role is to maintain and promote high levels of animal and Plant Health in England and Wales.

Basically, we are all about controlling ‘pests and diseases’ in animals and in plants. These roles focus specifically on biosecurity and we work to keep the UK safe in terms of animal Health and welfare and plant and seed health.

This means excluding, containing or eradicating, quarantining plant pests; regulating other plant pests to secure high quality planting material, and supporting the horticultural industry by regulating and certifying the trade in plants and seed.

In your role as a Plant Health Seed Inspector you will be an integral part of this work, working at entry points into the UK (airports, sea ports etc.) and in the horticultural and rural community. You’ll literally be at the front line, protecting the Health and quality of our natural environment.

So, can you help us protect the biosecurity of the UK, safeguarding Plant Health for the benefit of people, the environment, and the economy?

We have exciting opportunities to join our Plant Health Inspection Teams as an apprentice, where we will support you into becoming an infield P&BH professional. The successful completion of the apprenticeship will result in a full time, permanent EO post.

Working as a team via shift patterns, our inspection teams deliver physical inspections of plants, plant products and produce at Border Points of Entry including Border Control Posts (BCPs), Control Points (CP’s) and Inspections Centres (IC’s). They perform documentary and identity checks of the goods and take the required action where non-compliances are found.

If you have a passion for plants, the environment, and an eye for detail, with good communication and organisational skills, we want to hear from you.

Apprenticeship

The Plant and Bee Health Apprenticeship programme offers an opportunity for you to gain practical experience in Import Plant Biosecurity Regulation on behalf of the UK government.

It will be delivered by an external Training Provider through a combination of remote or face-to-face workshops, virtual tuition and e-learning and throughout the programme you will receive 6 hours weekly of your contracted hours to focus on your apprenticeship training.

This is a really exciting opportunity to earn as you learn and get hands on practice while you study towards a qualification with the chance to subsequently progress within the business. You will receive formal learning to develop crucial skills, knowledge and behaviours for your career and will also be a key member of a great team.

You’ll be part of a larger apprentice community within the Defra Group and will be supported by the Training Provider, your line manager, and colleagues throughout the apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship comprises of on-the job training and specialist training courses delivered through a mix of online and face-to-face sessions. Your line manager will ensure you have support and dedicated worktime to undertake your studies towards the apprenticeship qualification. This includes an average of a minimum of 6 paid working hours per week to dedicate to your apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship is paid for by APHA and you will continue to be paid the salary advertised. On successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will automatically progress into a permanent EO post on full pay.

Job description

Supported by your line manager/shift leader, your main duties will include, but are not limited to:

· Physical inspection of plants, planting material and produce, looking for quarantine plant pests and diseases

· Complete administrative duties accurately and in accordance with standard operating procedures, agency guidelines and within established timescales

· During outbreaks of notifiable disease, participate as directed to contribute to the control and the eradication of the disease including taking part in rosters for detached duty to other parts of the country.

You will be expected to occasionally stay away from home on overnight stays to attend meetings and training. There will be occasional travel to other APHA locations across the country.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction.

Contact point for applicants

HRResourcingSupport@defra.gov.uk

defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract, Apprenticeship

Salary: £24,723.00-£27,744.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: 326692