Confident and capable future conservation professionals empowered by volunteering

By Victoria Yates, Marketing & PR Manager

Studying towards a qualification within countryside management or environmental conservation is a fantastic starting point for anyone considering a career within the sector. Colleges such as Bishop Burton in East Yorkshire provide courses that allow students to pursue their vocation and take their first steps towards a successful future within this field. However, whilst hugely advantageous, a qualification only goes so far in developing a professional and students are actively encouraged to develop their knowledge and expertise further through volunteering.

Head of Department for Land Based at Bishop Burton Helen Martin explains, “Whilst on campus students are able to take advantage of the college’s extensive 360-hectare site, which boasts its own woodlands, providing a rich conservation and ecology environment for students to enjoy and get involved in practical activities. Both in the classroom and through hands-on learning, students work with our specialised lecturing team who have industry experience to build and develop the skills they need for a successful career.”

“However,” she continues, “those who become involved in extra-curricular volunteering and work experience are able to build an additional layer of professional and social skills, through their interaction and engagement with real-life working environments and teams. This proves invaluable for them when applying for further study or employment as it demonstrates a passion and commitment to their field that goes above and beyond.”

A perfect example of this is current second year Level 3 Countryside Management student Robin Fletcher. Robin feels his experience with plant, shrub and tree specialists Henleys Nurseries has really helped him appreciate the actuality of what it will be like to work in the industry.

He said “Working at Henleys has really got me used to being outside. Whilst I love being outdoors in rural environments the reality is sometimes, you’re outside in really horrible conditions, but you still have a job to do and a responsibility to do it well.”

Robin is also benefiting from being part of a hugely knowledgeable team of experienced practitioners, who are introducing him to new considerations that mean he has to think about the tasks he accomplishes from a different perspective.

“Being with the team and working alongside them has helped massively with my plant and wildlife identification. But I’ve also been learning about how animal species can affect their growth and how to tackle that. For example, we currently have a Roe Deer problem in the fields as they’re killing trees – so it’s good to understand those relationships more and see their impact.”

Fellow student Tom White has also found that his volunteering with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) has opened his eyes to new opportunities and differing perspectives.

“Volunteering allows me to explore a completely different side of conservation. At college we do a lot of practical activities such as fence and hedge laying but at TCV its much more hands on working with the ground or we’ve done things like building mink rafts. I love that we do different things all the time and I’m able to get a more diverse view of the countryside.”

Tom who is due to complete his Level 3 course in the summer wants to pursue a career in Forestry and has applied for a Level 6 Forestry Apprenticeship. He has enjoyed being able to experience different kinds of conservation activities through volunteering and this has led to an appreciation of the differing motivations for implementation.

“At college we have had some great gamekeeping experiences and we’ve done practicals related to this such as duck nesting tubes to help bring the population up and reared pheasant for the local shoot. But the work I’ve been involved with at TCV has been more conservation focused and being able to do this first hand, working with the ground itself has helped me decide in which direction I’d like to take my career in the future – focusing on Forestry.”

Robin and Tom’s classmate Dan Park, who is also volunteering with TCV, feels strongly that his experience has really supported him with his Level 3 qualification.

“The volunteering I’ve been doing with TCV has helped me to gain a much wider understanding of the countryside in general and how conservation actions like planting trees and maintaining habitats affects the wildlife and surrounding environments. So, it links really well to my course as I am able to get involved with activities that we wouldn’t necessarily do at college but that are related and help to expand my knowledge and understanding.”

Dan, chose to study Countryside Management as he has always loved wildlife and being outdoors. He wanted to pursue a course that would allow him to develop this passion, whilst also giving him practical skills and experience for a career within this sector and his volunteering is an extension of this.

“I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to get out and be hands-on when I’m not at college – tree and hedge planting, maintaining habitats or clearing reed beds - so it’s brilliant to be able to spend my spare time doing something I love. It’s also great learning from experts I respect and getting feedback on how I approach tasks and work.”

Dan has applied to progress to degree level study at University Centre Bishop Burton (UCBB) to pursue his vocation further. His volunteering experience featured within his personal statement to showcase his passion for the subject and his proactive desire to expand upon his knowledge and understanding. He is also confident that his experiences will help him with his future career as a really positive addition to his CV.

“I’m sure my volunteering will help me in the future moving into a job in conservation - basically being out in the countryside I see every bit of experience I get to be a boon!”

The benefits of volunteering and exposure to real-world scenarios cannot be understated. In addition to the practicalities of fantastic industry experience that can feature in a CV or form part of a compelling application for further study, the ancillary social and employability skills students acquire through their volunteering experiences also pays dividends in the classroom. 

Lecturer in Countryside Management Paul Baxter said “You can always tell when student becomes involved in volunteering. The impact is so beneficial, as for many it allows them to experience differing viewpoints, new areas of conservation activity that we potentially don’t cover at college and the opportunity to work alongside professionals – many of whom are experts in their fields. This introduction to working as part of a team improves their confidence immensely and helps them to appreciate the realities of working within this hugely rewarding sector. This in turn help them to understand their future within the industry as the next generation of conservation professionals”

Want to know more about Countryside Management and Environmental Conservation courses at Bishop Burton take a look at our website? The college is currently accepting applications to start in September 2024. www.bishopburton.ac.uk

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