Description

Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund NI, Breedon Group and Action Renewables NI, the highly successful Trainee Ranger Scheme will return for another year as part of our new project ‘Young, Wild and Well’. The Trainee Ranger Scheme has been a core part of the Belfast Hills Partnership’s youth programme.

The Trainee Ranger Scheme is for young people aged 18-30 who are facing mental and physical health struggles, special educational needs and disabilities, discrimination or other forms of disadvantage. The scheme aims to improve the health and wellbeing of participants by getting them into nature and forging friendships with other participants. It also offers young people an opportunity to boost their employability whilst providing training and practical experience in the environmental sector.

The Trainee Ranger Scheme is aimed at young people who want to gain skills and qualifications that will help them move on to employment or further training. No prior experience is necessary. Training is provided, so all abilities and backgrounds are welcome.

Weekly tasks include:

• Habitat management (e.g. invasive species removal, tree planting etc.)
• Foraging
• Bird ringing
• Woodwork
• Wildlife surveys
• Hikes
• Site visits, to explore the ‘behind the scenes’ of the Hills
• Meetings with professionals and networking activities to provide insights into different employment options available in the sector
• Employability workshop
• LANTRA accredited training for strimmers and brushcutters
• Level 2 AQA accredited course in “Facilitating Nature Based Activities for Wellbeing”, delivered in collaboration with the Ulster Wildlife.

Past participants of the Scheme have gone on to secure employment with in the environmental sector. This includes groups such as Belfast Hills Partnership, Ulster Wildlife, RSPB, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), CEDaR, and the National Trust.