Departments: Gardens & Estates Home Palace: Hillsborough Castle Status: Fixed Term Contract Estimated Start date: 1 September 2025 End Date: 1 August 2027 Salary: £21,415.68 subject to review in April Salary Rate: Per Annum Days/Hours of work: 36 hours per week (2 year fixed term contract) About the role and about you Historic Royal Palaces is a team of people who love and look after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world including their magnificent historical gardens. In collaboration with CAFRE (Greenmount), we are recruiting for an Apprentice Gardener position at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, giving you a fantastic opportunity to grow your horticultural skills whilst working in our beautiful gardens. Being a horticultural apprentice is an exciting challenge often physically demanding but hugely rewarding. You will be training within a horticultural environment, working alongside and learning from our experienced and dedicated Gardens team, developing skills and horticultural knowledge. Whilst studying towards your apprenticeship you will also be: Planting flower beds, shrubs, trees, and perennials. Hedge cutting, light pruning, and trimming. Understanding and responding to the challenges presented by climate change and sustainability. Identifying and recognizing a selection of basic plants. Learning to use a wide range of horticultural machinery. Ad-hoc soft landscaping, weeding, dead heading and mulching. Becoming familiar with the general history of Hillsborough Castle. Interacting with customers and visitors and helping them to get the most from their visit. Undertake any other relevant activities which fall under the general scope of this role as directed by the Line Manager We are looking for someone who is keen to learn and has good attention to details. Due to the nature of the role, you must be willing to work outside in all weathers and have a suitable level of fitness in order to carry out its fundamental requirements. You must also be able to get transport to and from Greenmount campus weekly. You will also need good communication skills and the ability to manage your time and workload. More than anything we are looking for potential, but, as this Apprenticeship starts at level 2 we do have a few eligibility requirements: You must be 18 years old or over on 1st September 2025. Live in UK (resident in country role is based). You must not have completed a degree or equivalent level qualification in the UK or elsewhere and not already be in full-time education. You must have a minimum of Level 1 essential skills in Maths and English For more information and to apply for this role, please clickAPPLY to be redirected to our careers page. Historic Royal Palaces is an equal opportunities employer and truly values a diverse workforce. Applications are welcome from candidates regardless of their background.