What is the Working for Nature traineeship?

Are you passionate about wildlife? Do you have a genuine desire to have a career in outdoor nature conservation? Have you always wanted to study or train in conservation but haven’t got the right qualifications or experience yet? Well, the Working for Nature traineeship might just be for you!

Our Working for Nature trainee scheme enables people with no previous experience or qualifications to work alongside our team and our volunteers, to develop hands-on practical experience and vital professional skills to help take that first step to a career in conservation.

Getting into a career in conservation can be difficult – there are few employment opportunities and those that do exist are incredibly competitive. To succeed, applicants need to have the correct training and experience and often people without a degree or equivalent formal education can be put off applying for jobs. We want to make sure that people who are passionate about wildlife and conservation are able to train and develop the right skills to be able to successfully apply for the career of their choice. If this sounds like you, keep reading!

How the traineeship works

Six funded traineeships are available each year until 2022, thanks for funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project is split between three of our Trusts – Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust and two trainees are taken on in each area each year.

Recruits work alongside a supervisor at the Wildlife Trust they are based at and study for a Level 2 qualification in Work-based Environmental Conservation. The traineeship is a practical one, so you will be working outdoors for much of the time alongside Wildlife Trust staff. You study for your qualification one day a week, supplementing the practical work you do with the knowledge and skills needed to work in the sector. . You complete research and written work throughout the traineeship, supported by the Working for Nature Training Officer. There is also the opportunity to complete an external work placement to gain more experience in the conservation sector.

Each placement is for a minimum of 44 weeks and working hours are 35 per week. Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, trainees receive payment of over £11,000. Full payment details and traineeship duration will be given at our information session in September.

Read about our current trainees and their Working for Nature experience.

Shaun’s story

I am a Working 4 Nature trainee based at Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust. I decided to pursue the traineeship after I attended the John Muir award. I had never done outdoor physical labour before and didn’t realise I would enjoy it so much. Being outdoors in a green space and doing some physical labour actually turned out to be really fun. I have since gained a big interest in conservation as a whole and am interested in pursuing a career in conservation and I hope that this traineeship will give me the skills and experience I need to succeed. So far I have done loads of different tasks outdoors as the Sheffield and Rotherham team have lots of variation in the types of sites we visit and I think that’s my favourite part. Getting to visit so many sites and improve/maintain them is really fulfilling. Overall I am really enjoying the traineeship and believe it is helping me achieve my personal goals and better myself as a person.

Joshua’s story

My name is Joshua Barnsdale and I was lucky enough to be given a spot at Idle Valley Nature Reserve on this traineeship. My story started when I started volunteering at Sconce and Devon Park as a Shadow Ranger. There I got my first taste of nature conservation and I knew that this was something I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing.Before I started getting into my passion I suffered from extreme depression which led me to become an alcoholic with no future. Nature saved my life and gave me the confidence to climb out of that dark place and find my true calling in life. This traineeship has helped me progress as a person and I can say that this opportunity has opened my eyes wide.

In my first month I have done everything from animal checking to wildlife management, even an outdoor first aid course which I found extremely interesting. Me and the other trainees did a harvest mouse survey which can be carried over to other species when surveying and has made me confident I can do surveys efficiently. The ultimate goal of mine and where I hope the course can help me is to get my foot into nature conservation. I want to make this my life long career so I may better myself and improve nature not destroy it, protecting it for future generations. I believe as the world moves towards having more technology, we are forgetting where we came from and that we are not the only living things on the planet. It is important for children to get involved with nature and their surroundings so they may pass it on when they are older.

The course has been pretty physical and mentally challenging but I feel myself improving every week and getting better adjusting to my environment. The course has taught me loads so far and I find it extremely interesting and informative. The course is extremely fun and interesting but has its physical side to it, it keeps you healthy and feeling good that you are helping nature and improving every day. I have only been with the Trust for a month now and I already feel I have improved mentally and physically and would honestly recommend the traineeship. If your passion is nature and working outdoors then this placement is for you, don’t worry just apply for it, you won’t regret it!

This sounds great! What do I need to apply?

You do not need to have any specific training or qualifications to apply for the Working for Nature traineeship, but we are specifically looking for individuals who:

Have a genuine passion for the natural world and conservation and a desire to work in the conservation sector.
Are over the age of 18 at the start of the traineeship.
Have not received graduate level education. You must not have a degree to be eligible to apply. If you have a degree, please contact your local Wildlife Trust for volunteer and training opportunities.
Have some knowledge of why conserving nature is important. Any experience you have of conservation volunteering will help you to demonstrate your awareness, passion and commitment to nature.
Have a strong work ethic.
Are punctual and reliable.
Have determination and perseverance.
Are willing to learn new skills.
Can commit to a full time schedule of 35 hours a week of training starting in January 2022.
Have their own transport (this is necessary to allow us to conform to any Covid-19 recommendations for safe working).
Do not do any paid work during the traineeship – this is due to the funding requirements of the traineeship.
Are eligible to work in the UK.

The WFN team want to attract people with a wide range of abilities and from different backgrounds, to represent the UK as a whole. We are an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly those underrepresented within our sector, such as people from black, Asian, minority Ethnic backgrounds, those with mental health issues, with no prior qualifications and those interested in changing career.

If this sounds like something for you, you have enthusiasm for the natural world and are ready to learn new skills, please:

Read the Working for Nature Trainee Role Description
See details on how to apply below

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Laura Jones, Working for Nature Project Officer on enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk.

How to apply

Recruitment will begin in August, ready for the next Working for Nature traineeship to begin in January 2022. To apply for the traineeship, you need to:

Fill out an Expression of Interest form (a link to this will be posted here in the first week of August).
Come to our online information session on Wednesday 15^th We will invite all eligible applicants who sent us an Expression of Interest form to an online information session. Here you will get to meet the Working for Nature team, find out more about the traineeship and what you need to do to apply, and ask questions.
Apply for a place. If after attending the online information session you want to apply for the traineeship, you will need to fill in a short application form* and also complete some outdoor conservation work. Don’t worry if you haven’t done any outdoor conservation work before! We will give you lots of tips and ideas at the Information Session on what you can do! Once you’ve completed the conservation work, you can achieve a John Muir Discovery Award!

* Applications will open at the end of September. More information will be given at the Information Session.

Once we have looked through all of the applications, we shortlist the best applicants. Those applicants will be invited for a face-to-face interview in September (date to be confirmed).

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Laura Jones, Working for Nature Project Officer on enquiries@derbyshirewt.co.uk.