New Forest nature scheme supports dozens into green careers - New Forest National Park Authority

Nearly 30 interns on a groundbreaking nature scheme in the New Forest have gone on to work or volunteer in the environment sector.

Since September 2023, the Countryside Education Trust (CET), in Beaulieu, has provided 27 internship opportunities for young people aged 16-25. The aim was to create options for young people and career changers to gain paid work experience in the environmental sector to help them make the jump from volunteering into employment. This was achieved through a combination of long and short-term internships.

The extended internships ranged from two to six months, with interns working one or two set days each. These were designed to fit around other commitments, such as work, education, family as well as the staff capacity at the CET. Each intern was allocated a project supervisor who advised and worked with them on their project throughout their internship.

The roles these interns undertook included: livestock checker, social media and admin, event support, children’s ‘Owls club’ assistant, creating an audio trail, coppicing, managing a vegetable garden, running a pop-up shop and renovating a herb bed.

The CET also hosted several short-term interns together for a week at a time, with residential options to stay on site. Some of the projects undertaken by the interns included: creating a nature awareness code of conduct for visitors to the farm site, production of a calendar for 2025, and a practical project in the heritage orchard.