Trainer – Horticulture at HMYOI Cookham Wood

Novus are now seeking talented Horticultural professionals to join our education team at HMYOI Cookham as a Horticultural trainer. This is a Permanent, full-time role working 37 hours per week.

In this role, you will work and be supported by our amazing team of dedicated professionals to mentor our prisoners to develop their skills in Horticulture. You will work with groups of up to 8 young people, developing their practical and theoretical skills including their adherence to industry expectations for health and safety. As part of the learning experience, our young people will work on live projects within the estate; having the opportunity to work in the open air, in a workshop setting and with a range of new and used materials to develop the skills of gardening and simple landscaping. This will in turn help them to secure employment opportunities post release. You will need patience, passion and understanding in your approach to our learners who have hit a bump in the road but want to learn and improve. Working in a prison is different to a main stream education facility. We operate with security at the forefront of what we do, so our class sizes are small to maximise supportive delivery. To aid this you also will be supported by Learning Support Practitioners who will support with one to one when required. Our security team are on hand to ensure that lessons run smoothly. We always try to cater to a learner’s individual needs and ensure we create a positive learner experience. Time will be given to planning and your local education manager is always on hand to provide support as and when needed. Delivery happens between Monday and Friday and weekends are strictly for rest and relaxation.

What we need from you

In order to be successful in the role of Trainer – Horticulture, you will need:

• Experience in managing horticulture and gardening projects
• Flexible approach to working in a fast-paced environment
• Have excellent interpersonal skills
• Having the ability to track and monitor learners’ progress against course criteria.
• Have at least 2 years of work experience in Horticulture
• Willing to gain relevant teaching qualifications to support your delivery.
• Hold at least a Level 1 qualification in Literacy and
• Numeracy or be willing to commit to gaining the qualification(s) within 1 year
• Ability to gain an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Colleague Benefits

As part of the LTE Group family, you will benefit from an excellent package including:

• In addition to your annual salary, you will receive a £4,000 taxable attraction allowance. This payment will be made in two parts Payment 1 – a payment of £2,000 will be paid to individuals following completion of 1 years’ complete service. Payment 2 – a payment of £2,000 will be paid to individuals following completion of 2 years’ complete service.
• Extensive annual leave which can be taken throughout the year and not restricted to school holiday times
• Monday to Friday working pattern
• Our in-house ‘Evolve’ training programme, which offers you the chance to upskill and further your career through a wide range of recognised qualifications
• We support you through a teacher training qualification and assessor qualifications
• Full package of training to support working in a Prison environment
• Good progression routes into management positions within education
• Learner class sizes are much smaller than FE colleges
• Able to be flexible and innovative with the curriculum
• Part of the wider community of the prison service
• Additional behavioural and complex need support
• Various pension scheme options including a Local
• Government Pension Scheme offering an 18.1% Employer
• Contribution and a Teachers Pension scheme offering a 23.68% Employer Contribution.
• Our comprehensive in-house awards scheme
• An Employee Assistance Programme including a free, confidential, 24/7 support service
• Health care discounts through Simply Health
• Retail discounts through You at Work

At Novus, we work with passion, care and commitment to create the foundations for change. For almost 30 years we have been helping men, women and children of all ages and abilities, in prison settings across England and Wales, to take new directions. We operate 50 hubs in the United Kingdom where our specialist teams are on hand to support Adults and Children to improve their employability prospects post release

Novus is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applications from all sections of the community. We working to support our Veterans into employment and are also proud holders of Disability Confident employer award. If you require reasonable adjustments, please let us know.