This year, we are recruiting for 11 volunteer trainees. These are supported learning placements; one day a week for 9 months. Each placement is supported by a mentor from our workers cooperative guiding your learning in your chosen area of our work. Closing date is 12pm/midday on Friday 23 February 2024. Starting weeks are either weeks beginning 1 April or 8 April 2024 and ending week beginning 16 December 2024.
The commitment:
- Roles can be achieved with a commitment of one day a week. The working day for nearly all roles is 9am – 5pm. More details about how the days relate to roles are below.
- In addition to ongoing mentoring, there are topic specific workshops/learning opportunities with other trainees (x3 events), site volunteers (x5 events) including a visit for all trainees to another growing site.
- Participation in very occasional weekend activities also supports the overall experience.
All are based at OrganicLea’s main site – Hawkwood Plant Nursery in Chingford, Northeast London. Travel expenses are offered to all trainees.
If interested, and need more information or encouragement: Find out more at our Trainee Open Afternoon from 2pm – 4pm on Wednesday 7 February. During this session you will have the chance to meet former trainees, some mentors and also see our Hawkwood site where the traineeship takes place. Bring any questions about these placements, how to apply for them and find out more about our work.
A summary of the roles are below with full descriptions for each role available.
Grower (Community market gardening focus: Plants and Production) – 2 roles
A placement within the growing team at Hawkwood. This traineeship will suit someone looking to develop their skills as a market gardener, supported by a busy and diverse volunteering and training programme. The trainee will learn the skills required to manage the food growing at Hawkwood, to integrate that with the needs of participants and take on responsibilities for growing plants and produce over the growing season. Full role description
Traineeship days: 2 one day roles Tuesdays / Wednesdays
Ideally, the trainee would be available to work on a Wednesday, and able to change days to a Tuesday for a three month period. We realise this may not be possible/ practicable for every candidate, so the detail of the ‘day change’ can be worked out prior to the role commencing. There is the option of doing a 1.5 day per week traineeship for candidates willing and able to work on Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the traineeship.
Grower to Grocer – 2 roles
A placement within both the growing and vegetable selling teams within OrganicLea. The trainee will learn, and take on responsibilities for, the skills and activities required to harvest and prepare fresh produce, in particular for the OrganicLea box scheme, and for the preparation and packing work that completes the whole ‘grow to sell’ picture. You will gain an insight into production requirements, supply coordination, ordering, liaising with suppliers and marketing of the business. Full role description
Traineeship days: 2 one day roles Tuesdays / Wednesdays
The role is a one day per week commitment, but as different days at Hawkwood have a different flavour, structure and learning objectives, it is preferable but not essential that the candidate’s working day changes during the course of the traineeship. Ideally, the trainee would be available to work on a Tuesday or Wednesday for half of the year and be able to change from one day to the other for the other half. We realise this may not be possible/ practicable for every candidate, so the detail of the ‘day change’ can be worked out prior to the role commencing.
Community Learning and Volunteer Support Trainee- 2 roles
This traineeship will suit someone looking to develop their skills as a community worker in urban food growing settings. The trainee will focus on skills required to support learning and volunteering opportunities that encourage participants from all walks of life. The trainee will gain experience in supporting volunteers with additional needs (e.g. learning disability, ill mental health, language support), supporting the delivery of our varied training programme and practical gardening activities throughout the seasons. You will also pick up skills associated with fruit and vegetable growing and/or harvesting. Full role description
Traineeship days: 2 one day roles either a Wednesday or a Friday.
Grower (Horticulture with Cut Flowers, Pollinators and Production focus) – 1 role
A placement within the growing team at Hawkwood. This traineeship will suit someone looking to develop their skills as a sustainable flower farmer with pollinator focused activity, in a community garden setting. This work supports production activity during and outside of busy and diverse volunteering and training tasks. The trainee will learn a variety of growing skills with focussed time on the management of cut flower production and pollinator work at Hawkwood. You should be happy working independently, with the OrganicLea Flower and Pollinator Worker, with the general production team and with volunteers. Full role description
Traineeship days: Wednesdays. Hours are from 9.00am –5.00pm April / May and November / December and 7:30am-3:30pm from June-October.
Grower (Horticulture with Fruit focus) – 1 role
A placement with the fruit care team. We have an orchard of over 200 young fruit trees; peaches against our glasshouse; cordon-style growing of apples and pears; almonds and hazelnuts. We also grow soft fruits including blackcurrants, raspberries and rhubarb. This traineeship will suit someone looking to develop their skills within the market garden, and in particular someone looking to develop their skills as a fruit grower in a community setting. The trainee will learn the skills required to manage the fruit growing areas of Hawkwood, and take on responsibilities for the fruit. You will also pick-up skills associated with the harvest schedule and the growing of plants and vegetables across the season. Full role description
Traineeship days: Fridays
Grower (Production and Biodiversity) – 1 role
A placement within the growing team at Hawkwood. This traineeship will suit someone looking to develop their skills as a small-scale organic grower while developing skills to survey and support wildlife. Working within our food growing team, with the Production and Biodiversity worker during and outside of busy and diverse volunteering and training tasks. While also learning a variety of growing skills, there will be time to focus on the management of our wildlife areas which includes learning about carrying out regular wildlife surveys. You will learn about our use of diverse cropping schemes, and our support for wild spaces for the benefit of food production, and the wildlife we share our site with. Full role description
Traineeship days: Fridays
Infrastructure Trainee – 1 role
This traineeship will suit someone wanting to learn a broad range of practical skills which are needed in site development and large-scale garden management at community food growing and general horticultural sites. You should be happy working independently, with the OrganicLea Infrastructure Workers, and with volunteers. The trainee will be able to focus in on the aspects of the work which appeal most to him/her/them. Full role description
Traineeship days: Fridays
Herb Trainee – 1 role
This traineeship will suit someone looking to develop their skills within the production of herbal tea blends and uses and identification of wild plants. The trainee will learn the skills required to harvest and dry herbs growing at Hawkwood, and mix tea blends with specific medicinal/ well-being properties. You will also pick-up skills associated with the Friday fruit and vegetable harvest schedule at OrganicLea’s Hawkwood site; with maintenance of our perennial herb gardens too. Furthermore, this year we have developed this traineeship in partnership with the Community Apothecary team at their Mulberry Close herb garden, also in Chingford. These sessions are held on a Thursday and will allow a lot of additional learning and practice in a recently set-up community herb garden that involves a wide range of herb focussed activities (10am-4pm/Thursday). Altogether, this makes up a weekly traineeship – swapping between Friday and Thursday – see below. Full role description
Traineeship days: First and third Friday, Second and Fourth Thursdays
To apply please:
- Please download, complete and return the OrganicLea application form and monitoring form, available on our website. (Different ways to apply listed at the beginning of the form.)
- Indicate clearly which role(s) you are interested in. If you would like to apply for more than one role please list your preferred 3 in order.
- Send to: marion@organiclea.org.uk or post to the Hawkwood Address for the attention of Marion Kent,OrganicLea, 115HawkwoodCrescent, Chingford, E4 7UH.
- When you are invited to an interview you will see the questions in advance.
Deadline for applications: 12pm/Midday Friday 23 February 2024
For more information about the roles, start by contacting Marion at: marion@organiclea.org.uk or call 020 8524 4994 (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays are good contact days).
| Interview dates | Day of interview |
| Grower, plants and production | Tuesday 12 March 2024 |
| Grower to Grocer | Tuesday 12 March 2024 |
| Community Learning and Volunteer Support | Friday 8 March 2024 |
| Grower, fruit | Friday 22 March 2024 |
| Grower, cut flowers, pollinators and production | Wednesday 13 March 2024 |
| Grower (Production and biodiversity) | Friday 15 March 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Friday 15 March 2024 |
| Herbs | Friday 15 March 2024 |
