Countryside Worker

On a countryside worker apprenticeship course, you will help become a guardian of our rural outdoor beauty and help maintain the environment that defines and distinguishes the English countryside.

You will spend most of your time working outside in all weather conditions to care for our protected landscapes, including national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, and national nature reserves, as well as private estates and rural and urban parks.

Typical job titles include estate worker, access ranger, maintenance ranger, site warden, assistant ranger, and field operator. Regular duties include constructing and repairing fences, walls, and hedges, maintaining paths, improving habitats and forests, and monitoring ecosystems, flora, and wildlife.

In addition, you will be knowledgeable about conservation and ecology. Ecology studies the relationships between plants, animals, and people.

What you’ll learn

On a countryside worker apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Build and repair a variety of field boundaries, including fences, walls and hedging. 
• Maintain public rights of way for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. 
• Improve habitats and woodland to get them in good condition by using various appropriate techniques, including pruning, felling or planting so native flora and fauna (plants and animals) can thrive. 
• Survey/monitor habitats, flora, and fauna to understand species numbers and relate this to relevant habitat management practices. 

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises three assessment methods: 

• Online test 
• Practical Skills Assessment 
• Professional discussion 

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 2 Countryside Worker Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.