The National Park Authority works to conserve the landscape, culture and wildlife of the North York Moors and helps people to understand and enjoy the special qualities of the area. To achieve this, it relies on workers with a wide range of attributes including traditional rural skills.
Faced with a shortage of exponents of crafts such as dry stone walling, traditional forestry management and hedge laying, North York Moors National Park Authority turned to Apprenticeships to help bridge the gap. Since launching an Apprenticeship in 2002, they have trained nearly 30 young people in these important skills – and helped to breathe new life into the rural conservation sector.
Why bother with Apprenticeships?
Steve Young, Apprenticeship supervisor at the authority, says: "By training our own workers, we have reduced the need to hire contractors to do vital conservation work within the National Park. It also means we get a lot of important jobs done quickly and efficiently that perhaps our volunteers wouldn’t have the skills to do, and we’re helping to revive ‘lost’ rural skills for future generations."
What works for the National Park Authority?
Out of 27 apprentices who completed the course in the past six years, 23 have gone on to work in the conservation sector, filling muchneeded roles including dry-stone wallers, tree surgeons, landscape gardeners and foresters. Five former apprenticeshave gone on to work full time at the authority.
The scheme has also benefited the wider local economy, by giving young people secure employment and ensuring that they do not need to leave the area.