The Wild Paths programme was a three-year project jointly hosted by Avon, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire Wildlife Trusts, to give people from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to undertake a 10-month long training placement in conservation and engagement.

Thanks to National Lottery players and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, trainees were given their first steps into a career in nature through a paid bursary for practical skills training and the opportunity to gain key qualifications.

A short film has now been produced to highlight the legacy of this programme, featuring Wild Paths trainees from Avon Wildlife Trust who have all gone on to develop careers in conservation:

As part of the traineeship, residential and day trips were organised centrally to allow trainees to complete a suite of 17 AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) units each, including fencing, coppicing and woodland management. The mixture of work-based placement, centralised training and formal qualifications meant that each trainee was ‘job ready’ by the end of their placement.

Wild Paths enabled trainees to get a feel for different areas of conservation work, to find out what they felt most passionate about, thereby informing their next steps. For example, at Avon Wildlife Trust, Ainsley went on to become our My Wild City Conservation Officer, Fern joined us as a Nature Reserves Assistant and has already been promoted to Nature Reserves Officer, and Beth has gone to become an Environmental Advisor, while continuing to volunteer at our Grow Wilder site.

You can find out more about the Wild Paths project on Dorset Wildlife Trust’s website. To keep an eye on upcoming vacancies at Avon Wildlife trust, check out our jobs section or see what volunteering opportunities are currently available.