Specialist Production Instructor: Commercial Horticulture

Overview

The job holder will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance, harvesting and cultivation of the establishment\’s gardens, ensuring protected cropping is grown and harvested to the highest standards and assess accredited vocational qualifications to prisoners. This is a non-operational job in an establishment with no line management responsibilities.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

• Maintain correct field-scale soil husbandry, ensuring all stages of crop development are followed in accordance with good horticultural practice.
• Maintain the growing plant/crop to ensure optimum development and/or cropping, ensuring that the plant\’s needs are fully met.
• Maintain effective biological pest control measures and any necessary chemical crop protection programmes.
• Resolve any prisoner work issues, setting tasks to match their ability whilst ensuring safety and production is maintained at all times.
• Ensure produce grown on-site is prepared and packaged appropriately, taking into consideration appropriate labelling, grading and overall presentation.
• Maintain sports fields as per agreed plan with both the Farms and Gardens Manager and PE Department.
• Carry out preventative pest control measures across the area of responsibility.
• Undertake other instructor tasks including:

• May participate in the selection process of prisoners for the workshop/area of work.
• Induct prisoners to the workshop/area of work and train them in aspects such as Health and Safety, Control of Substance Hazardous to health (COSHH), machinery and tools usage.
• Provide support for prisoners where required; tailor learning and training requirements to individual needs.
• Set work schedules and manage targets/quality standards, maintaining delivery of contractual arrangements.
• Assess and evaluate skills of prisoners up to national qualification standards.
• Supervise and maintain discipline of prisoners within the workshop/area of work, responsible for performance, motivation, discipline, appraisal and development of prisoners.
• Maintain regular communications via radio net in accordance with Local Security Strategy (LSS).
• Open and complete Assessment Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) forms, Violence Reduction Incident Reports (VRIR) and Security Information Reports (SIRs) when required and contribute to Incentive Earned Privileges (IEP) reports.
• Provide quality assurance against product specification.
• Log attendance and approve prisoner hours worked and wages including recording piece work where appropriate.
• Carry out fabric and tool checks of workshops and maintain security of areas, logging any tool/equipment faults. Undertake planned maintenance programme on machinery.
• Contribute to prisoner reports including parole and sentence planning.
• Complete regime monitoring information and update prisoner training records.
• Contribute to Health and Safety risk assessments relating to the workshop/work of area and specialist areas.
• Request materials and estimate usage in order to meet work targets.
• Initiate product development reviews to maintain workshop/area of work output levels, and to provide variety of work and experience for prisoners.
• Participate in self-audit and in achieving Service Delivery Indicators (SDIs).
• Complete administration activities to support the smooth running of the workshop.
• The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and are not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Qualifications and Experience

• Essential Experience: Must have experience in a supervisory role. Must be conversant with soil and growing medium husbandry, crop protection, crop production technology, plant protection technology options, preparation of fresh produce for sale, including grading, labelling and presentation. Should have experience of using industrial standard machinery and equipment.
• Technical Requirements: Staff must hold a Level 3 qualification in horticulture or a recognised horticultural industry equivalent, or be trained to the appropriate level within two years. Holding PA2 and PA6 pesticide qualifications would be a requirement. Must have current knowledge of all relevant Health and Safety and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations. May be required to be an accredited Assessor. Must hold a full current United Kingdom (UK) driving license to enable tractor and other vehicle driving operations in the course of the post holder\’s duties, in addition to prisoner instruction duties on farm vehicles. When transferring to a Young Persons establishment the job holder will be required to successfully undertake an assessment to demonstrate suitability to work with Young People.
• Ability: IT Skills; Basic Maths; Basic English.

Other Information

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with HMPPS Flexible Working policy. If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. The Loan/Secondment is subject to approval of the selected candidate\\\’s Business Unit. The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. Details will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location. This may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. Security checks, probation, and eligibility requirements apply as part of the Civil Service.