Outside the Classroom: The Benefits and Challenges of Apprenticeships in Conservation
By Sophie Hawkridge, Countryside Warden at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Working in the countryside sector can be challenging to get started in. One thing that most people who are already employed in conservation agree on is that volunteering and experience are very important when beginning your chosen career. Working in conservation is, for most people, a vocation born from a love of wildlife and the outdoors. Competition can be fierce, so it is essential that you stand out from the crowd. Apprenticeships/traineeships or residential volunteering can offer you a chance to get some experience under your belt, all while making a real difference to nature.
I have worked in conservation for 16 years and feel very lucky to do such an interesting and varied job. I came out of university after studying Environmental Conservation with an urge to find work and get started as soon as I could. I had been warned by various lecturers that my chosen career path, a countryside ranger, would be difficult to get into, so I set about contacting several conservation charities to find my first foothold.
I secured an RSPB residential volunteering opportunity in Scotland, which was unpaid but offered extremely comfortable living quarters. I was based at RSPB Mersehead for 2 months in the autumn, which was a perfect time to be there, as 1000’s of barnacle geese migrate there from Svalbard. I was lucky to have varied experiences at Mersehead, even though I was there for a short time. I undertook tasks such as scrub management, staffing the visitor centre, leading guided walks, counting geese, litter-picking, repainting signs and I even managed to sign up some new RSPB members. Having accommodation on site helped massively, but I still relied on my savings for food and running a car, so planning unpaid work is important if it’s something you’re interested in. In my opinion, the most important thing you can do to get the most out of your volunteering opportunity is to say yes to every task and keep a positive mindset. If something didn’t go exactly how you wanted, it doesn’t matter; you learnt something.
After my residential volunteering was finished, I decided I wanted to work in Devon. I moved there and got farm work that came with accommodation so I could be near-by if I was called for an interview. This may not work for everyone but it was cheap and also gave me experience of working outdoors and made sure there weren’t big gaps in my CV. I managed to secure an apprenticeship with Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust. I was paid a bursary, funded from a lottery project. There were 3 of us employed as trainee countryside rangers at Berry Head and even though we were paid, money was definitely tight for all of us. We had a training budget and also completed a Level 2 Diploma in Work-based Environmental Conservation. We worked with volunteers, ran the visitor centre, monitored the guillemot colony, conducted wildlife surveys and carried out practical conservation tasks; all invaluable experience for working in conservation. Through this job, brushcutter, first aid and 4x4 off-road driving courses were also all added to my CV, which made my year at Berry Head an invaluable experience.
After completing my year as a trainee, it was back to the job hunt. However, even with the certificates, diploma and degree, I still had training and experience gaps. While doing my jobseekers mandated job search, I found a 3-year apprenticeship with Caerphilly Council in South Wales. I completed the whole 3 years, and loved (pretty much) every moment of it. The range of training was fantastic; I went on a forest school course, got my chainsaw ticket, dry stone walling, wire fencing course, tractor driving, trailer driving licence, pesticides ticket, manual handling and ATV course. I also got to meet French and Belgian rangers who came to visit us in Wales and learnt so much from the Caerphilly Council rangers that can’t be easily taught on courses.
I now work for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust (LWT) as a countryside warden. My time as a trainee/apprentice majorly contributed to me securing permanent paid work. LWT runs its own trainee programme and several of my colleagues started as trainees with us. LWT have eco-friendly pods, which offer private, modern and cosy accommodation for our trainees across our major reserves. We have taken people from different backgrounds and stages of life, from school and university leavers to those who are considering a major career change. (It’s never too late!).
I was advised by colleagues to keep a diary, take photos and make a portfolio of tasks you’ve undertaken during your apprenticeship. There are lots of jobs that rangers do that you can’t go on a course to prove your competency, but getting photos of yourself in action will allow you to easily show prospective employers. I would definitely recommend apprenticeships as a way into a conservation career. Just remember to budget, take all opportunities offered, work hard and keep a positive attitude, even when it’s raining.
Find all the articles in the CJS Focus on...Apprenticeships Series here
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