Job Profile: Trainer/Assessor – Countryside and Water Environment
Name: Adam Collett
Employer: Bridgwater and Taunton College
Location: A range of sites across the UK for a variety of work places – rivers, parks, woodlands, forestry, grasslands, moorlands etc.
Job Responsibilities
- Liaising with a range of employers and apprentices on the content and delivery of the apprenticeship programmes
- Organising visits with apprentices to observe practical skills out on site
- Organising remote visits with apprentices to conduct professional discussions over MS Teams
- Delivering online teaching of theory, covering a wide range of countryside and environmental topics
- Carrying out Continuing Personal Development activities to ensure knowledge and skills are current
- Developing and delivering a range of materials to increase apprentices’ knowledge of their subject and help them implement this in the workplace
- Providing feedback to apprentices on their learning and development, especially around practical activities and how they can improve these
- Discussing practical activities with employers to ensure apprentices are given appropriate opportunities to develop their practical skills
- Carrying out survey work, species identification and habitat management with apprentices to help them understand and develop their knowledge in this key area
- Delivering knowledge around current best practice and emerging practices to ensure all apprentices are up to date with the latest developments and thinking in the sector
- Travelling to a variety of sites around the UK to carry out assessment and apprenticeship reviews in a wide range of habitats and scenarios
Majority of time is spent doing:
Planning assessments, especially observations, with apprentices and their supervisors/line managers
Carrying out practical assessments of work apprentices are involved in on site
Carrying out professional discussions of practical work with apprentices where it is not possible to directly observe their work
Delivering teaching online through MS Teams to a range of different levels of apprentices (Level 2, Level 3, Level 4)
Travelling to a variety of sites around the UK
Marking and giving feedback on work submitted for assessment
Carrying out reviews with apprentices to ensure work is up to date and apprentices achieve well
Time is spent in a mix of inside and out, usually on a weekly basis, one week indoors, one week out on site. There is no seasonal variation, Assessors go out on site in all weathers and apprentices are expected to do the same, there are even criteria in the three apprenticeships around having a positive approach to working in all weathers!
Qualifications needed
Ideally a degree in a related field, but relevant industry experience is key as this ensures understanding of the countryside and environmental sector which helps apprentices to succeed and ensures good liaison with employers and organisations.
Additional training:
- DBS is a requirement of employment with the College
- A good working knowledge of Safeguarding and the principles involved in this
- Any machinery qualifications are always useful (Chainsaw, Brushcutter, Mower, Hedge-trimmer etc.)
- Emergency First Aid is required and renewed as part of the job role
- Cold Water Safety is beneficial due to proximity to water when carrying out assessments
Skills needed:
- Enthusiasm for helping people learn and succeed
- Passion for the countryside and environmental sector
- Able to adapt delivery style to suit different apprentices and their learning styles
- An eye for detail
- Being able to provide constructive feed forward that aids apprentice development
Advice to anyone looking at similar roles:
- Get plenty of industry experience
- Obtain as many machinery qualifications as possible
- Obtain a training/assessing or teaching qualification if you can
- Demonstrate how you have worked with a range of different employers or organisations
Find out more about apprenticeships at the College on https://www.btc.ac.uk/employers/countryside-training/
If you have any queries about this role or would like to ask a question of the job holder please contact CJS by email.