A group of trainees working for three Wildlife Trusts in the north of England are set to complete their training following a one-year work programme, finishing at the end of March.

The trainees were appointed through the Skills for Wildlife Scheme, which has been run across the Yorkshire, Sheffield and Derbyshire Wildlife Trusts and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), with the programme enabling ten young people, aged between 16 and 25, to gain a work-based diploma in environmental conservation and on-the-job experience of countryside management.

“The traineeship has given us a unique opportunity to develop and enhance our skills and knowledge, providing us with the chance to gain new training and experiences, which will hopefully allow us to progress in a career within the countryside sector,” said student Elysha Priest.

The students have been based at the Potteric Carr Nature Reserve in Doncaster, where on-the-job work that the trainees have undertaken includes the construction of a pond dipping platform at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, training in the traditional art of hedge-laying and putting that into practice across various nature reserves in Yorkshire and Derbyshire, in addition to various other countryside management practices.

The Skills for Wildlife traineeship has been hosted by The Wildlife Trusts for the last three years and is available to young people leaving school or higher education, providing them with opportunities to gain both practical experience and qualifications in the conservation sector.

For more on the scheme click here.