Level 4 Countryside Ranger Apprenticeship

You’ll help care for the National Cycle Network and surrounding land across the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust Estate. This hands-on apprenticeship builds skills in land maintenance, and habitat management, working with experienced staff, volunteers, and partners.

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Due to the driving aspect of this role you will need a full clean UK driving license. You will be working in Chester, Deeside, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Lancashire.

Looking for an active career where each day varies? This Level 4 apprenticeship is a great opportunity to work outdoors, learn practical skills, and make a real difference.

You’ll be part of a small, supportive team maintaining cycle paths and associated green spaces, using tools and machinery, driving across sites, and helping protect spaces for wildlife and communities. You will help plan tasks, organise and carry out a programme of works across the north west.

You will gain hands on experience of active land management in an outdoor setting.

If you enjoy being outdoors, in all weathers, teamwork and a variety of practical work in both urban and rural settings, this could be the apprenticeship for you.

Where you'll work

Chester Millennium Greenway
Chester
Cheshire
CH2 2HD

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

BRIDGWATER AND TAUNTON COLLEGE

Training course

Countryside ranger (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Assess, prioritise, maintain and evaluate a safe working environment following relevant legislation, work place policies and procedures including identifying hazards, assessing risk and minimising risk and implementing and complying with control measures.
• Comply with and ensure others comply with legal requirements, industry regulations and standards and organisational policies, processes, procedures and professional codes and ethics.
• Comply with environmental best practices and procedures and follow sustainability and waste management practices.
• Organise and prioritise environmental and land management work activities such as habitat management, work associated with public access or assets such as bridges and scheduled monuments. This includes assessing tasks, identifying and allocating the required resources to deliver the task effectively and review completed work.
• Manage a range of habitats and species using a variety of specialist techniques and resources which takes account of the local area, habitat, species of flora and fauna and levels of associated protection such as felling, pruning, planting, cutting, mowing, coppicing, thinning, spraying and uprooting, livestock grazing and controlling vegetation and invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed.
• Produce short or medium term work, site, habitat action or small scale project plans for the delegated areas of responsibility for and in line with organisations requirement and based on sound knowledge of ecological principles and in line with relevant legislation.
• Delegate tasks to volunteers/ team members.
• Deliver work and projects on time, to a high standard, using allocated resources, to planned budget, method and quality and represent value for money e.g. environmental and land management, public engagement, interpretation or survey work.
• Manage workload, taking into account competing and changes in priorities and demonstrate problem solving ability.
• Communicate with the correct authorities and seek advice on land, nature conservation and asset management, such as Historic England for Scheduled Monuments or ecologists.
• Organise and prioritise asset and infrastructure construction, maintenance and management works including any surveys and alternative plans.
• Construct, maintain and manage a range of boundaries, public access routes, infrastructure and assets using a variety of specialist techniques, tools, equipment and resources.
• Correctly identify the unique range of native and invasive species and habitats in the geographical area.
• Survey, analyse, communicate and evaluate results for habitats, species and countryside assets.
• Select and use a range of work-based tools, machinery and equipment e.g. 4WD vehicles, trailers, winches and other powered and non-powered tools such as chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmer and hand tools, mobile devices and other technology such as GPS, tablets and cameras.
• Instruct others how to use tools and machinery correctly and safely and ensure operator competence.
• Complete records associated with tools and machinery e.g. maintenance, use, vibration and noise levels etc.
• Engage and communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders including the public, landowners, tenants, contractors and colleagues.
• Supervise, motivate and work alongside others while undertaking habitat management, construction and maintenance of boundaries, access routes and associated countryside assets.
• Present information to the public and relevant stakeholders on planned works, site designation, its species and habitats and techniques used to manage an area.
• Deal with emergencies and incidents as appropriate within the limits of their responsibility, authority and level of training.
• Design, produce and evaluate various types of environmental interpretation and information provision for a range of audiences.
• Speak in public and engage with a wide range of audiences such as stakeholders e.g. tenants, local community or interest groups, volunteers, educational and corporate groups and members of the public on a range of topics. For example, planned or ongoing habitat or access management, local flora and fauna or history and archaeology of an area.
• Recognise strengths and areas for development, creates SMART objectives in line with organisational objectives, participates in development opportunities and regularly seeks feedback.
• Make decisions based on the organisations principles and relevant and accurate information.
• Assess, prioritise, maintain and evaluate a safe working environment following relevant legislation, work place policies and procedures including identifying hazards, assessing risk and minimising risk and implementing and complying with control measures.
• Comply with and ensure others comply with legal requirements, industry regulations and standards and organisational policies, processes, procedures and professional codes and ethics.
• Comply with environmental best practices and procedures and follow sustainability and waste management practices.
• Organise and prioritise environmental and land management work activities such as habitat management, work associated with public access or assets such as bridges and scheduled monuments. This includes assessing tasks, identifying and allocating the required resources to deliver the task effectively and review completed work.
• Manage a range of habitats and species using a variety of specialist techniques and resources which takes account of the local area, habitat, species of flora and fauna and levels of associated protection such as felling, pruning, planting, cutting, mowing, coppicing, thinning, spraying and uprooting, livestock grazing and controlling vegetation and invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed.
• Produce short or medium term work, site, habitat action or small scale project plans for the delegated areas of responsibility for and in line with organisations requirement and based on sound knowledge of ecological principles and in line with relevant legislation.
• Delegate tasks to volunteers/ team members.
• Deliver work and projects on time, to a high standard, using allocated resources, to planned budget, method and quality and represent value for money e.g. environmental and land management, public engagement, interpretation or survey work.
• Manage workload, taking into account competing and changes in priorities and demonstrate problem solving ability.
• Communicate with the correct authorities and seek advice on land, nature conservation and asset management, such as Historic England for Scheduled Monuments or ecologists.
• Organise and prioritise asset and infrastructure construction, maintenance and management works including any surveys and alternative plans.
• Construct, maintain and manage a range of boundaries, public access routes, infrastructure and assets using a variety of specialist techniques, tools, equipment and resources.
• Correctly identify the unique range of native and invasive species and habitats in the geographical area.
• Survey, analyse, communicate and evaluate results for habitats, species and countryside assets.
• Select and use a range of work-based tools, machinery and equipment e.g. 4WD vehicles, trailers, winches and other powered and non-powered tools such as chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmer and hand tools, mobile devices and other technology such as GPS, tablets and cameras.
• Instruct others how to use tools and machinery correctly and safely and ensure operator competence.
• Complete records associated with tools and machinery e.g. maintenance, use, vibration and noise levels etc.
• Engage and communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders including the public, landowners, tenants, contractors and colleagues.
• Supervise, motivate and work alongside others while undertaking habitat management, construction and maintenance of boundaries, access routes and associated countryside assets.
• Present information to the public and relevant stakeholders on planned works, site designation, its species and habitats and techniques used to manage an area.
• Deal with emergencies and incidents as appropriate within the limits of their responsibility, authority and level of training.
• Design, produce and evaluate various types of environmental interpretation and information provision for a range of audiences.
• Speak in public and engage with a wide range of audiences such as stakeholders e.g. tenants, local community or interest groups, volunteers, educational and corporate groups and members of the public on a range of topics. For example, planned or ongoing habitat or access management, local flora and fauna or history and archaeology of an area.
• Recognise strengths and areas for development, creates SMART objectives in line with organisational objectives, participates in development opportunities and regularly seeks feedback.
• Make decisions based on the organisations principles and relevant and accurate information.