College Technician Horticulture

• Prepare, co-ordinate, deliver and assess practical skills training in line with approved curriculum and deliver feedback to students.
• Managing health, safety and welfare of students and implementation of the health and safety policy.
• Maintain student records of training.
• Implement quality assurance policies including internal verification.
• Supervision of students on work experience.
• Provision of material for practicals, open days, in-service training and educational exhibits.
• To assist management and administrative staff in achieving good governance and risk management through co-operation and adherence to administrative procedures and practices.
• Play a key role in the college fruit and vegetable unit to facilitate innovation and development opportunities in sustainable food production.
• To co-ordinate and liaise with other horticultural staff in the management, maintenance and development of the college fruit and vegetable unit.
• Plan daily/weekly/seasonal work programs and implementation of crop plans in the fruit and vegetable unit.
• To support management and maintenance of horticultural machinery and equipment.
• Supervise and manage (when required) farm staff, including external contract/agency farm staff and students.
• To maintain physical records pertaining to students and enterprise.
• To assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service Charter and Action Plan.
• To actively participate in the annual business planning and Performance Management Development System (PMDS) processes.
• Fully co-operate with the provisions made for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of themselves, fellow staff and non-Teagasc staff and co-operate with management in enabling Teagasc to comply with legal obligations. This includes full compliance with the responsibilities outlined in the Safety Statement.
• Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time

• This job specification is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive. It will be reviewed from time to time with the post holder.

• A Level 6 qualification, (as recognised on the

• A Level 7 qualification in Horticulture would be a distinct advantage.
• 3 years' work experience in the fruit and vegetable sector.

• Practical skills associated with the production of fruit and vegetables.
• Horticultural machinery operations.
• Self-motivation and leadership capabilities.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to impart knowledge to students.
• Ability to work on own initiative whilst being an effective part of a larger team.
• Competent in operation of horticultural production machinery and equipment.

• Computer Skills
• Previous experience in skills training in horticulture

• Knowledge of Fruit and Vegetable crop production and management.
• Knowledge of planting, cultivation, irrigation, fertilisation, rotation and integrated pest management.
• Understanding of the fruit and vegetable production sector and its stakeholders.
• Compliance and relevant legislation related to food production.
• Sustainability and protection of fruit and vegetable crops.

• Knowledge of organic production of food crops

• Ability to plan work schedule and work effectively to college timetables.
• Ability to adopt a positive and flexible approach to working with others.
• Open to change and provide suggestions for improvement.
• Ability to work as part of a team, including consulting, collaborating and building relationships with key stakeholders.
• Ability to problem solve and demonstrate a high level of attention to detail.
• Ability to develop student potential.
• Commitment to teamwork and collaborating with colleagues as per our Teagasc Together ethos

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