Landscape Operative Apprentice

Chorley Council and South Ribble Counci; Chorley; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave + holidays

Local Government pension

Healthcare Cash Plan

Cashback portal for savings

Volunteering days

Free parking

Job summary

Chorley Council and South Ribble Council are seeking a motivated individual to join the Parks and Open Spaces service as a Landscape Operative Apprentice in South Ribble. The role combines hands-on hard landscaping with study towards a Level 2 Landscape Construction qualification at Myerscough College Preston Campus.

The fixed-term 24-month apprenticeship offers full-time hours (36.25 per week) with a salary of £24,025–£25,423 and a path to develop skills across parks, open space and play area

Qualifications

• Willingness to learn about public realm and greenspace design and construction in a local government environment.
• Willingness to work closely with individuals and as part of a wider team.
• Confidence in learning and using Microsoft Office and other industry software (training provided).

Responsibilities

• Assist with delivery of the council’s annual revenue work programme for parks and open space improvements and maintenance.
• Assist with site preparation, including clearing sites, digging and levelling ground.
• Assist in installing sub-bases by laying aggregates and compacting to standard.
• Assist with constructing hard landscape features such as paths, benches, walls, steps and fences.
• Support installation and maintenance of surface water drainage systems.
• Assist in playground maintenance and general groundskeeping tasks.
• Maintain safe, tidy worksites and operate tools and equipment safely.

Skills

Teamwork

Microsoft Office

Willingness to learn

Education

GCSEs English & Maths

Level 2 Landscape Construction

Job description

About The Role

• Role: Landscape Operative Apprentice
• Location: South Ribble
• Contract: Fixed Term Apprenticeship (24 months) / Full time (36.25 hours)
• Salary: £24,025 - £25,423
• Closing Date: 6 September 2026

We are seeking a passionate and enthusiastic person to join our Parks and Open Spaces service. You will play a key role in sculpting the future of our outdoor spaces through hands‑on hard landscaping. You will work with the landscape and playground team on parks, open space and play area improvements and maintenance projects. Gaining experience working on these projects within the borough, this role offers an opportunity for your skills and knowledge to grow. You will study a level 2 qualification in Landscape Construction with weekly session held at Myerscough College Preston Campus.

What you’ll be getting up to

Assist with the delivery of the council’s annual revenue work program to carry out parks and open space improvements and maintenance across the borough’s parks and open space, built infrastructure and playgrounds.

• Work as part of the Parks and Open Spaces service on parks, open spaces and play area improvement projects, supporting both planned and reactive general maintenance activities.
• Assist with site preparation, including clearing sites, excavation, digging trenches, moving materials and levelling ground.
• Assist in the installation of sub-bases by laying aggregates and compacting bases to the required standard.
• Assist with the construction of hard landscape features such as bench bases, paths, decking, retaining walls, steps and fences.
• Support the installation and maintenance of surface water drainage systems.
• You will assist in playground maintenance undertaking grass cutting, strimming weeding and moss removal and equipment cleaning.
• Work safely and responsibly in line with health and safety legislation, including safe manual handling and the safe use of tools, machinery and abrasive wheels.
• Help maintain safe, tidy and organised worksites through cleaning work areas, processing waste and carrying out general housekeeping duties.
• Where appropriate, use council vehicles, property and communication equipment in a safe and responsible manner.

Who we’re looking for

We are looking for a motivated individual to work within our Parks and Open Spaces service.

• You will have a willingness to learn about public realm and greenspace design and construction work in a local government environment.
• You will have a willingness to work closely with individuals and as a member of a wider team.
• You will be confident in learning and using Microsoft Office Computer packages and have a willingness to learn other software commonly used in the industry.
• You’ll have an interest in parks and open space hard landscaping and delivery of projects.

Other requirements

• This role requires you to regularly use a vehicle therefore you must possess or be willing to obtain a valid UK Driving Licence.
• It is desirable that you have a minimum of 4 GCSEs including English and Maths. Alternatively, English and Maths Functional Skills Level 1 will be accepted as an alternative to GCSEs.

Our Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (and Christmas shutdown)
• Local Government pension
• Healthcare Cash Plan for cash back on health treatments
• Cashback website access for savings on brands you love
• Volunteering days
• Free parking

Many of our colleagues work flexibly for us. We’re always open to conversations around different working arrangements.

About Us

At South Ribble Council, our mission is to provide a first-class service and improve the quality of life for our communities. Our staff are our greatest resource in helping us achieve this. They’re at the heart of everything we do and are crucial to the delivery of excellent services.

Working Together

We share a number of our services with Chorley Council. This allows for improved resilience across both councils and provides numerous benefits to our operations. Whilst some staff and back‑end processes are shared between the Councils, both Councils still retain sovereignty and have separatestrategies and corporate plans.

Equal Opportunities

We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

We are committed to the elimination of unfair and unlawful discrimination and prejudice in all our policies, procedures, and practices.

We’re committed to making our recruitment practices barrier‑free and accessible to everyone.

This includes making adjustments for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long‑term health conditions.

If you would like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process, please contact us via the "Contact Us" page on our website.

If you are disabled or your last employer was the armed forces, and you meet all the essential criteria of a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.