Approx. duration: 12 months
Start date: Anytime
Attendance: All assessment and training is undertaken in the workplace with occasional visits to college
Entry requirements:
- Individual employers will set their selection criteria for applicants
- Apprentices need to be employed for a minimum of 30 hours a week and have a contract of employment
- Entry into the Apprenticeship is subject to a thorough skills scan assessment to clarify course suitability
- Apprentices must achieve Functional Skills Level 1 in English and/or Maths if they have a GCSE grade below Grade 2 or E. Additionally, they should demonstrate a commitment to working towards and completing the Level 2 exam before reaching the End-point assessment
- Apprentices who have already achieved GCSE grade 2 or Functional Level 1 in English and/or Maths will need to demonstrate a willingness to work towards and successfully complete the Level 2 exam prior to the End-point assessment
On programme learning:
- Countryside Worker Standard
- English and Maths (if required) Level 2
End-point assessment:
Delivered by Lantra
Progression:
On completion of this apprenticeship, a Countryside worker will have the opportunity to progress within the industry into roles such as Estate Worker, Access/Maintenance Ranger, Site Warden, Field Operative and Volunteer Leader.
Course Summary:
Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes designed around the need of both the Apprentice and their employer.
Countryside Workers carry out specific environmental and conservation tasks and they will also be clear about how practical conservation work interacts with the productive and recreational use of the countryside, including allied farming (livestock and crop production) and sporting activities (most commonly fishing and shooting) and how these relate to countryside management practices.
Countryside Workers will be able and willing to do challenging work outdoors, in a variety of locations, which may be remote, including moorland, heathland, woodland and coast, interact with the public and explain their work as well as undertaking their role all year round in a variety of weathers, both on their own and as part of a team.
Day to day work could include:
- Building and repairing a variety of field boundaries including fences, walls and hedging
- Maintaining public rights of way for walkers, cyclists and horse riders
- Improving habitats and woodland using a variety of appropriate techniques including pruning, felling or planting
- Surveying/monitoring habitats and flora and fauna to understand species numbers and relate this to relevant habitat management practices