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Crop Technician Apprenticeship
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Crop Technician Apprentice at Varfell Farms Ltd.
The team at Varfell Farms Ltd. are excited to be offering an opportunity for a motivated individual to join them as a Crop Technician Apprentice. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain an insight into the industry and learn new skills.
Wage: £16,640 to £26,436.80, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Training course: Crop technician (level 3)
Hours: Mon - Fri 08:00 - 17:00 (please note, this vacancy may require evening and weekend work). 40 hours a week
Start date: Wednesday 7 October 2026
Duration: 2 years
Positions available: 2
What you'll do at work
- General tractor driving work
- Harvest operations, mainly using a trailer
- Operating road brush
- Cultivations
- Mowing
- Pre start machinery checks
- Basic machinery maintenance
Typical daily tasks will include, but not be limited to:
- General farm work and maintenance of machinery and site
- Tractor Driving
Additional or added tasks:
- Compliance with company policies.
Where you'll work
Varfell Farm
Varfell Lane
Longrock
Penzance
Cornwall
TR20 8AQ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider: CORNWALL COLLEGE
Training course: Crop technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Identify and mitigate risks to promote and maintain health, safety and security. (Core)
- Manage accurate paper or digital records within the workplace. (Core)
- Maintain and operate machinery and equipment in accordance with manufacturer operating instructions. (Core)
- Maximise economic sustainability by optimising plant growth when carrying out operations. (Core)
- Establish crops to ensure efficient and sustainable growth. (Core)
- Operate vehicles in accordance with manufacturer operating instructions. (Core)
- Control pests, weeds and diseases using integrated pest management. (Core)
- Apply and store pest management treatments in accordance with standard operating procedures, legislation and regulations. (Core)
- Carry out plant nutrient application or irrigation tasks required by the crop. (Core)
- Carry out harvesting and dispatch operations. (Core)
- Assess and monitor crops for quality, performance and specification requirements. (Core)
- Select harvesting techniques taking account of crop condition and quality requirements. (Core)
- Maintain biosecurity and hygiene practices in line with legislation, regulations and organisational requirements. (Core)
- Keep harvested crops in suitable conditions to maintain quality. (Core)
- Maintain soils or substrates to ensure sustainable, efficient and healthy growth. (Core)
- Sample and evaluate soil or substrate health to determine nutrition requirements. (Core)
- Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures relevant to own role. (Core)
- Participate in learning and CPD activities. (Core)
- Manage own time to achieve tasks to schedule. (Core)
- Consider different approaches to current working practices, identifying improvements, developments and innovative ideas. (Core)
- Set and monitor machinery performance to ensure good seed or plant establishment and crop growth. (Soil based)
- Set machinery and equipment taking into account the crop, environment, soil condition and specification requirements. (Soil based)
- Maintain non-productive areas. (Soil based)
- Assess the impact of machinery on soil structure and identify potential damage in accordance with legislation. (Soil based)
- Optimise growth conditions for crops, based on the specific needs of the plant relative to the environment. (Container based)
- Maintain productive and non-productive areas. (Container based)
- Plan for and carry out the removal of waste materials following harvest or dispatch. (Container based)
- Evaluate and select different growing mediums taking into account site conditions and production requirements. (Container based)
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Training schedule
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This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.
Essential qualifications
- GCSE in:
- English (grade C/4)
- Maths (grade C/4)
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
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Number skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
- Rural - reliable travel arrangements do need to be considered.
- Driving licence is essential for location of the site.
About this employer
As the world’s largest daffodil grower supplying supermarkets with cut flowers and bulbs. Varfell Farms has undertaken significant expansions, now operating across 6,000 acres and introducing a state-of-the-art farming, packhouse, dispatch area, and cold storage facilities. Varfell Farms is passionate about regenerative farming, growing crops in a sustainable way that protects and enhances the environment has taken a major step forward in its sustainability journey with the installation of over 1,000 solar panels at its new packhouse facility in Penzance, Cornwall.
Operations span crop production, post-harvest activities, and wholesale distribution of flowers and plants.
In the past year, the company is fully integrated, handling everything from planting bulbs to picking, packing, and supplying supermarkets like Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, and Tesco.
Varfell Farms (opens in new tab)
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Potential full-time employment upon successfully completing the apprenticeship.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is: CORNWALL COLLEGE
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000053595.
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