Apprenticeships at the Trust
Our HR Coordinator talks career opportunities in the outdoors
Sophie, our HR Coordinator at a Careers Fair at Cirencester College, Gloucestershire
Jacob, our Apprentice Woodland Ranger and Molly, our Apprentice Conservation Ranger next to a structure they both built on the site of a beetle bank, guiding walkers to stay on the footpath to protect the beetles (Milton Farm, Gloucestershire)
Apprentices learning dry stone walling at Low Beckside Farm in Cumbria
We see young lives given purpose and meaning, once introduced to all the career possibilities they never knew existed, working in the outdoors with a new sense of respect for the environment and their role in sustaining it.Vicki, Head of Learning, Operations and Partnerships (Cumbria/Lancashire)
As a landowning educational charity, the Trust is uniquely positioned to provide ‘skills for nature’ training. In recent years, we have developed our own apprenticeship schemes, offering green skills training to equip the next generation with the skills needed for a future in the outdoor sector.
Sophie, our HR Coordinator supports with the recruitment of apprentices at the Trust and raises awareness of the career opportunities with local schools and colleges, ensuring the Trust is recognised as a provider of green apprenticeship programmes.
I completed a Business Administration Apprenticeship when I left Sixth Form and I am delighted to see how much apprenticeship programmes have evolved and improved in a short time. I am particularly proud of the unique apprenticeship courses we offer at the Trust and the way in which we engage with people about the opportunities
The Trust offers interested applicants the opportunity to visit sites in Fairford and Cumbria, where they can meet the people they will be working with, as well as get a feel for the location and facilities available.
After the Open Day event in Fairford last year (2024), we received over 60 applications for the two apprenticeships available, which demonstrated the appetite for the courses we were offering and gave us the assurance that we can look to offer more in the future.
As an employer offering apprenticeships, I’d like to see more support for organisations who are enrolling in the scheme to ensure all pathways are considered and utilised.
Sophie comments that better accessibility to the apprenticeship levy account and funding opportunities could entice more organisations to offer apprenticeships and expand their talent pool.
In our Cumbria/Lancashire hub, The Trust works collaboratively with Cumbria Connect, offering a Nature Friendly Farming Apprenticeship scheme, in partnership with RSPB and Lowther. Apprentices learn a wide range of skills across three sites including Low Beckside Farm, our working farm and Learning site in Cumbria.This scheme aims to empower the next generation to become champions of conservation and lead the way to a sustainable future, propelling nature recovery into a promising career path.
With a growing urgency to fill skills gaps in the outdoor sector, the Trust established our own ‘Francis Stone Apprenticeship’ scheme at Low Beckside Farm in 2023, named after one of our longest serving farm tenants. With the inaugural apprentice, Jon, about to complete his 18-month apprenticeship (Spring 2025), the Trust will very soon be on the lookout for our next Apprentice Farm Worker.
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