Herefordshire Nature Trust, Ambios Ltd and Sheffield Wildlife Trust have been delivering and supporting work-based training since at 1999 and have been highly successful in getting trainees into paid conservation work.

New funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund will allow the LEMUR Project to provide fundamental skills and ‘on the job’ experience in wildlife survey, species identification, habitat management and heritage interpretation within a choice of three geographical areas linked to three training themes: Devon (Marine), Herefordshire (Rural) and Sheffield (Urban).

Herefordshire Nature Trust

The Trust is a learning organisation, providing staff with significant self-development opportunities and incorporating training delivery for volunteers, individuals and communities into a wide range of the projects.

Since 1999 the Trust has acted as a key natural heritage training provider within the West Midlands region and beyond through its Environment for Experience and Lifelong Learning (EEL) initiative. The EEL Project is an award winning learning project, as recognised by the Learning and Skills Council, and has been hailed as a best practice project for the sector by LANTRA and other environmental sector organisations. Aimed at the unemployed, including graduates, EEL has to date provided 54 participants with six or twelve-month full-time work based training placements, and accredited 52 associated Level II and III units. 98% of those EEL placements entered into employment within nature conservation immediately or soon after completing their time with the Trust.

The EEL project additionally provided skill gap training to 196 environmental professionals from 37 different environmental organisations via 54 short in-house courses.

The Herefordshire Nature Trust is one of the 47 Wildlife Trusts in the UK. Its vision is to make Herefordshire a place rich in wildlife. Established in 1962 the Trust is the leading wildlife conservation organisation within the County. The Trust employs 22 staff and works with 400 volunteers. It owns and manages 55 nature reserves within the County, provides advice and support to others wishing to manage their land for wildlife, facilitates a range of community based wildlife projects and campaigns for better wildlife protection. As such it has a strong track record of conserving the natural heritage.

Click here for more information about Herefordshire Nature Trust.

Ambios LTD

Ambios Ltd is a not-for-profit company involved in training, capacity-building and human-resource development across a broad base of environmental activities. They have over 10 years practical experience in project management including: UK regional government grants and European Social Fund (ESF) projects. Ambios recently successfully delivered a DGV111 (EU) 3-year coastal zone management project in Central America and a 2-year ESF project (2001-2003) training wildlife rangers for employment. Currently Ambios are delivering two further ESF funded projects; one focusing on work place vocational training including the integration of practical field and computer skills for wildlife rangers leading them to employment; the second focusing on similar outcomes for the community recycling sector. The Ambios ‘team’ (8 people) has expertise in a wide range of environmental and wildlife management issues.

Click here for more information about Ambios.

   

Sheffield Wildlife Trust

Sheffield Wildlife Trust provides a successful programme of environmental training, events, landscape contracts, commercial graphic design, food development, education & youth work, practical sites team for wildlife friendly conservation work, land management, nature reserves, and much more!

Sheffield Wildlife Trust has provided a range of training and employment options for over six years with a success in engaging trainees and achieving high numbers of job outcomes. This is done through necessary ‘on-the-job’ training linked to various appropriate qualifications - including: OCN and NVQ courses in environmental conservation, and I.C.T courses. The Trust is an accredited OCN learning centre and has designed its own OCN qualification. Additional support and training around personal development and job search is also delivered. Sheffield Wildlife Trust will be working in partnership with the Parks, Woodlands and Countryside service of the City Council and the Green Estate Company, to provide bursaries with relevant practical experience in heritage based skills at Level 3.

The Lemur Project will enable Sheffield Wildlife Trust in ensuring that working in partnership, both nationally through the Wildlife Trusts network, and locally with the City Council and Sheffield’s regeneration agencies, to make sure that a new generation of skilled and trained individuals take up employment that will ensure that, wildlife and the environment are given the consideration they deserve.

Sheffield City Council is our main partner across Sheffield. We lease nine nature reserves from the Council and work with the Ranger Service and the Ecology Unit to deliver improvements to parks and open spaces and vital works to protect and enhance biodiversity.

The Green Estate project became a separate company from the Sheffield Wildlife Trust. Sheffield Wildlife Trust has retained a 50% ownership of this new social enterprise, run as a joint venture along with Manor and Castle Development Trust.

Sheffield Wildlife Trust is 'Investors in People' accredited and takes great pride in the fact that all staff, volunteers and trainees are able to get as much support and development in the chosen roles within the organisation.

Click here for more information about Sheffield Wildlife Trust.

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