Kick start your career in forestry with our placement opportunity

Earlier this month, we caught up with two of our forestry placement students, Jack Richardson and Lamorna Richards who joined #TeamNRW in September last year, as part of a year’s paid placement opportunity with our forestry and land management teams.

In this second part of our placements blog we catch up with Emyr Parker and Fraser Gilchrist who also successfully secured placements with us from Bangor university and the University of Highlands and Islands, respectively, to find out what their placement experience has been like so far:

Emyr Parker

“I have been working as a team member of forest operations on a higher education placement with NRW for a few months now. It has been an extremely satisfying experience; I have been included in weekly discussions of current and future events across the Mid-North area, and my team have involved me in everything possible. Since starting my placement, I’ve been shadowing members of my team with a variety of ongoing operations from harvesting to tree establishment. Now, a few months in, I’m able to take on more and more responsibilities independently.

It’s been amazing experience to see ongoing harvester-forwarder operations in person, and I have built on the knowledge I gained from my studies at Bangor University. These experiences have brought my future studies and career into sharp focus. Going out alone and supervising ground preparation and planting sites has really boosted my confidence and the hands-on experience has made forestry studies so much more real. I can thoroughly recommend a placement with NRW, it’s certainly not an opportunity to miss out on."

Fraser Gilchrist

"In my placement within Forest Operations team I am learning a lot more about the business aspects of forestry than I had considered or appreciated, including the measures to meet compliance. Most days I have been on sites getting to see different operations mostly harvesting and tree planting and gaining a better understanding of the whole process and actions required. I have found it interesting to have access to more information on forest blocks and getting an idea of the planning process and considerations required working towards set objectives. I’ve also really enjoyed getting to travel around Wales and working outside with great views while seeing the changes to forests that can be missed when just visiting."

Do you think you have what it takes to be our next placement?

We’re delighted to be able to offer the paid placement opportunities with our forestry and land management teams again this September.

There are four opportunities available, so if you’re studying for a career in forestry or land management and think you have what it takes to join #TeamNRW we’d love to hear from you.

You can find out more about the placements and view the application form over on our website.

Read the blog with our Senior Officers in Forest Operations who share what they’re looking for in applicants and their best piece of advice on building a career in forestry.

Applications close January 31

If you have any questions about the placements please get in touch : Michael.cresswell@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk