How Easy is it to have a Career in Rewilding?

Infographic for a new generation of rewilders — Some of our Nature Recovery Team out on the Knepp estate (Ecosulis)

By Britta Wicks, Head of HR at Ecosulis Ltd

Since joining Ecosulis almost two years ago as their Head of HR, I've had the fascinating opportunity to delve into the intricacies of labour market patterns and recruitment practices within the rewilding industry. Coming from a diverse background in pharmaceuticals, utilities, and construction, I've encountered similarities and trends, but the nuances of the rewilding sector presented a considerable learning curve!

We are often approached by graduates or individuals, eager to start their journey in the rewilding sector. A reoccurring theme has emerged around the challenge of gaining traction in their first role, often feeling the pressure to accumulate a certain number of voluntary experiences to be considered ‘worthy’. Contrary to this belief, breaking into the rewilding sector does not have to be a difficult journey, providing you know the right places to look. It can be very rewarding, offering not only personal growth but also a chance to contribute significantly to conservation amid the growing awareness of climate change, as this is core to what we deliver at Ecosulis.

Set up table and standees for ecosulis at a careers fair — The Ecosulis Internship Stand at the Reading University Career Fayre (Ecosulis)

We understand the daunting nature of entering a new industry, and have purposefully designed roles, programmes, and requirements to dismantle these perceived barriers. Our highly successful internship programme, spanning a year, exposes successful candidates to various areas of our business, fostering well-rounded skills and experiences. We understand the importance of supporting interns in aligning their workplans with personal goals and aspirations, ensuring equal exposure and access to different departments.

We believe in creating a meaningful working environment, where developing well-rounded skills and experience that you can take into your next role is welcomed. We aim to ensure that all our interns have support in understanding what career opportunities there are available in future, both in our business and the wider industry. We align each intern workplan with their personal goals and aspirations to avoid a ‘one size fits all approach’.

Two people in high-vis walking in a field around fresh earth and a pool of water — Our Intern Olivia Kelly at our Belmont Estate Site (Ecosulis)

We aim for every intern to spend approximately 3 months in different departments, and review each quarter to understand what they enjoyed, what they learned, what inspired them, and what aspects they would like to continue with. By using this tailored approach, we are supporting personal career planning, and this helps us to develop a deeper understand for our future workforce potential.

We feel that it is essential to allow all our interns to see first-hand, how every role impacts our efforts to deliver our company vision of rewilding half of the planet by 2050. This vision is embedded throughout the business, and every member of our team feels particularly passionate about striving to deliver it. It is therefore crucial that each department can showcase how they can achieve this, from marketing to operational support, and right through project delivery and site-based teams.

Our programme has been so effective, that we are starting to collaborate with Further Education providers to develop a similar initiative for site-based roles. This programme aims to facilitate a seamless transition from education to the workplace, allowing individuals to explore various roles while receiving on-the-job training, experience, and mentorship. As a values-led employer, we ensure that roles are benchmarked regularly, and aligned with the Real Living Wage as a minimum standard, rejecting the notion of paying minimum wage.

Person in high-vis on their knees working in the grass at a peatland site — Our Site Team working on one of our Peatland Site (Ecosulis)

Growing our own talent is a passion shared by all members of the Senior Leadership Team however, to deliver our vision: ‘to rewild half of the planet by 2050’, we understand we can’t achieve this in isolation. We believe that programmes like these are essential to growing talent in the rewilding sector, and we are committed to fostering an approach that shares knowledge and broadens the availability of roles within our wider industry.

Any questions please contact Josh Plaister, Recruitment Manager on Josh.plaister@ecosulis.co.uk

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