Plant Health and Seeds Inspector - Imports - Apprenticeship
| Posting date: | 06 August 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £24,723 to £32,074 per year |
| Additional salary information: | National - £24,723. London - £27,744. This is 90% of grade salary. 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% |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 26 August 2024 |
| Location: | Ashford (Kent) |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | 363997/1 |
Summary
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, supporting the horticultural industry by regulating and certifying the trade in plants and seed.
In your role 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'll 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 (providing cover 24/7 365 days a year) 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.
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. Throughout the programme you will receive 6 hours weekly of your contracted hours to focus on your apprenticeship training.
The apprenticeship is paid for by APHA and you will continue to be paid the salary advertised. On successful completion of the apprenticeship, you'll automatically progress into a permanent EO post on full pay.
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.
To find out more about a day in the life of an inspector, please watch this video. A day in the life of a Plant Health Imports Inspector
Successful candidates will be required to:
- Work collaboratively in a high-pressure, time sensitive environment with delivery partners
- Work safely by adhering to all APHA and BCP health and safety policies
- Receive training to enable you to take action on areas of non compliance and enforcement
- Work independently and manage a busy workload to deliver deadlines and priorities
The apprenticeship will be overseen by your line manager who will track your progress through the apprenticeship at performance meetings, as per our probation policy and procedures. Future employment is dependent upon successful completion of your apprenticeship. The apprenticeship offers structured learning, and you will attain professional qualifications upon successful completion of the programme.
For a more detailed description of the role and responsibilities, please see the attached Candidate Pack for further information.