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Onwards and upwards

Repairing a boardwalk by Iain Turbin

Meg takes a look at the last five months as her future takes an exciting new turn...

Just like that, my traineeship has sadly come to an end! These past five months have flown by and, although I am very sad to be leaving, it is for a very exciting reason: I have managed to get a job as a Graduate Ecologist for Arup in the Midlands area. I am over the moon that I have managed to land this role, especially as it has been a dream job of mine for a few years. I am so proud that all of my hard work and years of volunteering have paid off - 16 year old Meg who had just started volunteering for Herefordshire Wildlife Trust would be amazed at how far I’ve come!

I am very grateful for my time as a trainee at Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. Everyone has been so friendly and eager to give up their time and share their knowledge with me. I have learnt so much and gained so many valuable skills that definitely helped me land my new job. Along with all of the practical skills I have developed, my confidence, communication and teamworking skills have all improved, which are highly valuable skills to take into my career. My knowledge of species identification and habitat management, which have developed throughout my time here really, helped with the application process for the role.

Person wearing safety clothing in a woodland cutting a felled tree in half using a chainsaw by Iain Turbin

Cutting a tree by Iain Turbin

I really appreciate the variety of experience that has been available to me as a trainee. Reserve and habitat management was the main focus of the role, which involved very practical hands-on work including repairing and installing fences, gates and boardwalks, mowing and raking meadows, removing scrub, brushcutting and removing invasive species. I especially enjoyed working with teams of volunteers on many of these tasks. Alongside this, I was able to tailor the traineeship to my own requirements. Personally, I chose to try out everything I could to gain as many skills as possible! I’m really interested in environmental education and public engagement so I got involved with the Outdoor Origins youth group, which was a fun experience. Other exciting projects I’ve been involved in were having a radio interview for BBC Hereford & Worcester, joining a magazine editorial meeting, creating video content for social media, learning how to carry out tree surveys and researching one of our wetland reserves to create an informative guide for volunteers. As you can imagine, I was very much looking forward to starting wildlife surveys in the spring and summer (including dormice, bird and great crested newt surveys) but I will obviously be doing plenty of this in my new role, which is exciting!

My favourite day of the whole traineeship was the day we had the radio interview. Whilst answering the presenter’s questions, we were struggling to smash through solid ice on a pond at Trench Wood on a very cold winter’s day. The aim was to remove some of the invasive non native Crassula from the pond but we needed to break through the ice before we could get to the plant. The experience was so extraordinary and new to me – I never thought that I would have an interview on the radio, let alone row a boat out onto a frozen pond!

For anyone looking to pursue a career in conservation or the environmental sector more generally, the main advice I would give you is to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way (and be proactive in looking for opportunities for work experience). Being able to demonstrate that you have taken initiative to gain practical experience really makes you stand out above others that may have the same or similar academic qualifications to you. If you are thinking of applying to be a trainee at Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, then I would encourage you to do so. It could be that stepping stone you need to land your dream job!

If you are uncertain of the particular route in conservation you wish to pursue, whether that is youth engagement,  communications, ecology or practical reserve management, then I would definitely recommend this role, as you can tailor it to your needs and work out what suits you best!

I am really going to miss working with colleagues and volunteers at the Trust and I am especially going to miss being a part of the trainee team! It has been a pleasure getting to know Lydia and Iain and I can’t wait to see what amazing things Lydia will go on to do after the traineeship. Thank you to everyone at the Trust for being such a lovely group of people and making my time here so enjoyable!

 

A recent graduate, Meg Cotterrell is keen to get stuck into all aspects of working in a conservation organisation and hopes that the trainee role is the first step on her conservation career ladder. Meg will be starting as a Graduate Ecologist with Arup in March 2022.
Two women standing in woodland and smiling for the camera by Iain Turbin

Lydia and Meg by Iain Turbin

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