Nature Volunteer Review

For week one, we attended talks from various people within the conservation industry. They spoke about their roles in their current jobs, past employment and how they help young people gain experience. The placement involved learning how employers think and what they look for in an applicant. We were then tasked with creating an engagement plan over the next month working with a group and presenting this to a board for feedback.

The placement was insightful as we were given the opportunity to hear from and talk to many individuals within different parts of the industry. This covered a large range of jobs and sectors and I felt comfortable asking questions to discover more about areas of the jobs that I was interested in.

Yes, there was plenty of opportunities to ask questions and gain confidence, working with a team helped to develop communication, patience and leadership skills. Doing this placement alongside a degree course meant I had to manage my time well and guest speakers taught us how to present and sell ourselves to employers. The final task helped me to learn more about presenting my ideas and researching a range of unfamiliar topics.

Welcoming, I was comfortable from the offset in being able to speak and ask questions. The atmosphere was fun and whilst being professional felt very laidback and enjoyable.

It was interesting to meet and engage with such a variety of different people with different mindsets and hear about careers I had never thought about before. This placement has opened my mind to new ways of thinking and I enjoyed being exposed to new careers.

Yes