Meet the South Downs apprentice turned ranger…
February 8, 2023
For National Apprenticeship Week in February, we catch up with Gemma North, Assistant Ranger. Gemma successfully completed an apprenticeship before going on to become a fully-fledged ranger.
Can you tell us more about the apprentice role you did at National Park?
I undertook a Ranger Apprenticeship role at the South Downs National Park in September 2019. I had long wanted to become a Ranger and it gave me the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge needed to make the career switch. I undertook a W`ork-based Environmental Conservation course at Sparsholt College, whilst also working for the SDNPA full-time as an Apprentice Ranger, getting the much needed on the job training. I was put on many role-specific training courses during my apprenticeship including off-road driving, chainsaw, brushcutter and first aid training. I undertook a lot of practical conservation work, helping to improve and maintain habitats across the South Downs such as chalk grassland, woodland and heathland, as well as undertaking many surveys for varying habitats. I was also given the opportunity to do short work placements with partner organisations including the National Trust, RSPB and Natural England, which gave me a good insight into different ways of working and the difference between reserves management and working for the National Park.
Why did you choose an apprenticeship at the South Downs National Park?
I had been working for the Park for five years in an admin role when I decided to undertake the apprenticeship scheme to career change to become a ranger. I’d discovered after just a couple of months of working at the SDNPA that I wanted to become a ranger through supporting its ranger teams in administrative tasks. The apprenticeship was a very good way for me to get into the field as I was at a stage in my life where I was unable to fund myself through another degree and dedicate enough hours to volunteering to be able to get into a countryside management role that way. The apprenticeship scheme enabled me to follow a dream of mine that I’d discovered five years earlier, and to be able to do it in the landscape where I first discovered my passion for countryside management! I had already developed a love for the habitats that I’d been supporting indirectly, so it made sense in my mind that this is where I wanted to learn the skills of the trade.
What do you think are the benefits of apprenticeships?
I think the biggest benefit of an apprenticeship is to be able to learn on the job. You are literally working the job you are training for, whilst still going through the education side as well. I feel that learning about things you’re passionate about is different from actually working in that environment, and so it gives you a good idea if you really would enjoy the job day-to-day. It is also massively beneficial as you are working with experts in the field on a daily basis and so learn above and beyond what you could pick up in a classroom. For me personally, it was the only way I could afford to career change as well. It sounds cliché, but it has completely changed my life. I now do a job that I love and that I actively look forward to going to!
What were the challenges?
I will admit that I started an apprenticeship scheme a little later in life than you might normally – I was 33 at the time – and so going back to education and having to do homework and the like again was a challenge! I also quickly learnt that my physical fitness wasn’t as up to scratch as I’d have liked and for the first three weeks I was coming home exhausted and falling asleep on the sofa after dinner! My body got used to it in no time though, and now I can’t imagine going back to a desk job!
What was the highlight of your time in the National Park as an apprentice?
Honestly everything was amazing. Getting to learn new skills and knowledge, having a different “office” every day in the most beautiful landscapes, learning from some of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met – it was all incredible. The one thing that I loved the most though was the friendships I made with my two fellow apprentice rangers!
How did being an apprentice help you in your current job role?
I was incredibly fortunate to be able to apply for and successfully get a role as an Assistant Ranger within the National Park at the end of my apprenticeship. The timing couldn’t have fallen better for me as a couple of vacancies for Assistant Rangers came up at the right time. My role was in a different team than the one I had done my apprenticeship with, which I think has been massively beneficial as I have learnt different ways of working and have worked predominantly on heathland sites as an Assistant Ranger, whereas I was on chalk grassland mainly as an apprentice. I definitely would not have had the skills or knowledge to be able to do the role of as Assistant Ranger without undertaking the apprenticeship, so it has been invaluable.
What are your future aspirations?
I hope to progress in the future from an Assistant Ranger to a Ranger role, whether that is in the National Park or another organisation. I am still learning every day as an Assistant and developing the skills I need to become a Ranger. Since working as an Assistant Ranger, I have discovered a love and passion for heathland habitats, so would particularly like to progress in that direction if possible.
