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Another one flies the nest

Amy, Ruthie, Issy

Ruthie reflects on the value of her traineeship and her fellow trainees as she leaves for a her first paid job in conservation...

Then there were three and it's soon to become two trainees as I leave my traineeship in preparation for my new role as Southern Heathlands Assistant Ranger for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. After years of voluntary work for several conservation organisations, I am incredibly proud to say that my hard work has paid off and I have landed my first full-time paid position!

This, of course, would not have been possible without the formal training and qualifications I gained during this past year as a trainee with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. Despite my work and voluntary experience, not having a chainsaw license really held me back in finding a job in the practical conservation sector. For anyone looking to enter this field of work, having formal qualifications (other than a degree) is hugely beneficial and will help you to stand out amongst other candidates.

Whilst I am incredibly excited to start my new role in August, I will miss the staff, volunteers and the trainee team immensely. Everyone has been so welcoming and understanding, I could not have done it without all the support that has been so readily available from everyone. At the beginning of my traineeship I chose to be honest and open about my own mental health struggles, something that only had a positive impact on my time with the Trust. To be met by such compassionate and kind responses really helped me to progress through my training and is something I hope to take with me to my future work place.

Before and after photos of a restored cattle corral by Ruthie Cooper

Cattle corral - before and after by Ruthie Cooper

From the get-go us trainees were thrown straight into tasks. Myself and Jake, along with two other members of staff, managed to completely restore a cattle corral. An incredibly satisfying job on an old, Victorian landfill site. 

Like Jake wrote in his final blog, I would have trouble trying to condense down the past ten months of my traineeship so here is the best one sentence summary I can give: I would highly recommend this traineeship to anyone wanting to gain formal training and enter the practical conservation sector. Being one of four trainees meant that it was not only me that was learning new skills, techniques and practises. I also got to watch three others grow and flourish as we each gained confidence and understanding in our conservation work.

Amy, Ruthie and Issy for Ruthie's leaving

There is no typical day on this traineeship, we have covered so many different tasks and visited a variety of different habitat types on the reserves. We have herded goats, litter picked, fixed boardwalks, surveyed dormice, learnt how to identify fungi, trees and other flora, planted trees, installed steps, washed vehicles, the list goes on! Each task has taught us something new, whether that be in practical terms or in terms of our strengths and new-found capabilities. You will love this traineeship if you are willing to get stuck in.

Thank you Team Turbinators for being an amazing bunch, I hope to see you all again soon. Stay wild!

 

Ruthie Cooper has grown up in rural Worcestershire and is at home in the outdoors whatever the weather. She's volunteered with a varieties of charities but couldn't pass up the opportunity of becoming a trainee with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, gaining formal training and qualifications to help with a future career in practical conservation. Ruthie is due to start as the Southern Heathlands Assistant Ranger with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust in August 2021.

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