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Building confidence and learning skills

Photo by Niamh Burchell

Callum shares how four months as a trainee have boosted his confidence and taught him new skills...
Person leaping off a round hay bale in a sunlit dry field, arms outstretched and smiling, wearing a bucket hat, green T‑shirt and black trousers with other hay bales and tree line in the distance.

Photo by Callum King

Hey readers, my name is Callum and I'm the fifth and final trainee to write their blog. Four months have passed since we started and I can say it's been a fantastic experience so far and I'm excited about the remaining eight! Before starting this traineeship, I was unsure about what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to do something practical and hands on, and this traineeship is exactly that!

I've learnt so much about so many different tools and techniques. I've found I love brush cutting due to the transformative process of improving accessibility to reserves and the satisfying change from the beginning to the end product. I have also enjoyed feeling my confidence improving as I have had more independent opportunities to brush cut and have learnt much safer ways to use the equipment I am familiar with.

I absolutely loved the challenge of off-road driving training and trailer training. It was exciting to learn a new skill that I was unfamiliar with, and to feel competent at the end of the day. It was great to learn from practice during the reversing exercise and be able to freely make mistakes until I made the mind body connection. I'm already putting this into practice with our latest project.

Trainees assembling a small wooden footbridge through tall reeds and grasses beside a wet channel, using posts, hand tools and a power drill under a blue sky.

Photo by Callum King

The most recent task has been completing Tessa's Bridge, located a short walk down from Tessa's Pond at Lower Smite Farm. The original bridge was falling apart, and we wanted to improve the nature trail as it is an important access route for visitors and farm volunteers.

During the process of installing the supports for the handrails, we faced a challenge - I broke the drill! This provided an opportunity for us to talk about the importance of planning ahead during a design. We had accidentally drilled through one of the coach screws holding in the first slat due to misestimating the attachment points. We then had the opportunity to fix this mistake by sharpening the end of the drill with a file. Mistakes are an important part of the learning process.
 

Trainees in green shirts and sun hats taking a shaded break beside a truck in grassy countryside, smiling after outdoor conservation work.

Photo by Callum King

This is where our team dynamic really shines through and is really the highlight of my experiences so far. The different strengths we have to offer and our different backgrounds bring out the best in us all as individuals.

I'm still on the journey to discovering my interests and I've got much closer to figuring out what I enjoy while working with the Trust.

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