The Natur am Byth Trainee Scheme
Natur am Byth is Wales’ flagship species recovery programme uniting nine environmental charities with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in the largest ever partnership of its kind in Wales.
With a little over half of plants and animals remaining and 17% of species in Wales threatened with extinction, Wales is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. In recognition of this severe biodiversity loss the Natur am Byth partnership was formed to deliver action in response to the nature emergency in Wales.
Natur am Byth targets interventions for species facing the greatest threat of extinction with focused support for people who can benefit most from engaging with natural heritage.
The Natur am Byth trainee placements are aimed at providing people from any background with little or no experience the opportunity to experience working in the environmental sector, with skills training and support to enter a career in nature conservation. In designing each of our three trainee placements we consulted experts from within the partnership, and externally with the wider sector. This was to understand how we could make our offer as inclusive as possible. As a result, our traineeships have the follow features:
✓ Paid within real living wage hourly rate
✓ Entry level with no previous experience required
✓ Training in habitat recognition and species identification
✓ Travel and subsistence costs provided
✓ Digital equipment provided
✓ Mentoring from conservation professionals to pave the way for a future in conservation
Potential candidates are invited to discuss the roles prior to application to explore potential barriers to any of the items listed under the competencies and requirements for the role, and to consider how these could be mitigated.
We’re currently looking to fill the following three trainee roles:
Swansea Bay Coasts, Commons and Communities – Buglife
Swansea and surrounding areas
Invertebrate charity Buglife lead the ‘Swansea Bay Coast, Commons and Communities’ project that targets targets 13 rare species, including the Strandline Beetle, Six-spotted Cranefly, Fen Raft Spider, and Burnt Tip Orchid. Conservation efforts focus on restoring 52 hectares of open habitats by reintroducing grazing practices, managing grassland and scrub, and removing invasive plants in sand dunes critical for species like the Sand Lizard.
Full role details can be found here.
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Carmarthen
This post will play a key role in the conservation of the rare plant Goldilocks Aster in Wales, as part of the wider ‘Saving the shrill carder bee’ project led by Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The trainee will learn about the care and propagation of the Goldilocks Aster samples collected, and develop the skills required to undertake cross pollination experiments. The trainee will also help Bumblebee Conservation Trust to undertake plant and bumblebee monitoring for the shrill carder bee, one of the UK’s most threatened bee species.
Full role details can be found here.
RSPB
Gwynedd & Isle of Anglesey
The trainee will be supported in monitoring a diverse range of target species and their habitats for the RSPB across their project ‘Llŷn and Ynys Môn’, which focuses on the Lleyn Peninsula and Isle of Anglesey. Depending on your location, the availability of transport and personal interests, this may include identifying curlew breeding territories and locating nests, counting spotted rock-rose plants, recording observations of chough, assessing food availability for the large mason bee and surveying waterways for signs of water vole. You will also play a role in habitat management with volunteers, and take part in discussions with project partners, land managers and contractors regarding the conservation of different habitat types. There will also be opportunities to help raise the profile of target species through people engagement events and communications, such as social media posts, blogs and magazine articles.