Rebecca Smith - Forestry Commission

From Tanzania to the Trossachs. Rebecca Smith’s journey to achieve her ambition to work in environmental conservation has taken several twists and turns - and a decade - to come to fruition.

An advocate of the Modern Apprenticeship

She believes all her experience, directly relevant or not, will stand her in good stead and Rebecca praises the in-depth training provided by the Modern Apprenticeship and the Commission’s commitment to wider training for arming her with all the skills she needs.

 

At 28, she has just landed her dream job as a Conservation Ranger with the Forestry Commission in Scotland. Rebecca completed a two-year Modern Apprenticeship, including SVQ Levels 2 and 3 in Trees and Timber Establishment, and says this training was the perfect introduction to her new career.

As Rebecca starts work on the Cowal Peninsula, in the Forestry Commission’s Cowal & Trossachs Forest District, she is looking forward to spotting some rare creatures including red squirrels, golden and sea eagles, and black grouse. But she knows that the job is as much about people as the wildlife…

“The government talking about a 75-year lease for a lot of the forest estates has proved one thing - how much the general public care about our forests,” she says.

“The job of Conservation Ranger means I can at last do what I have always wanted, to make a difference. Small changes over time can make a big difference. For example, the Cowal Peninsula is a red squirrel stronghold, so it’s making sure that continues and they can possibly stretch their territory.”

Rebecca has been committed to conservation since she was a teenager, but was diverted several times in different directions!

“When I was at school I was expected to go to university and become a lawyer or a doctor. But when I was doing my Highers, I asked my parents if I got the grades I wanted to go to university, could I take a gap year? My friend’s father, Max Murray, was a game vet in Tanzania. He inspired me to go there to work with all sorts of animals from livestock to big game and monkeys,” she explains.

“I always wanted to be involved in conservation, getting people interested in their environment and teaching them how to sustain it. I came home from Africa, took anthropology and environmental science at university in Edinburgh, then ended up working for an estate agent!

“When I first told my parents about the Modern Apprenticeship, their reaction was ‘Really?’ especially as I had to move from Glasgow to the middle of nowhere, but it was great. Now they know it’s right for me.”

Rebecca seized the opportunity, but even then there were no conservation roles on offer when she finished training, so she took an admin job with the Forestry Commission’s West Argyll Forest District. “That taught me a lot and I had the chance to learn a mapping programme that will give me a head start, though I can also use a map and compass…”

She believes all her experience, directly relevant or not, will stand her in good stead and Rebecca praises the in-depth training provided by the Modern Apprenticeship and the Commission’s commitment to wider training for arming her with all the skills she needs.

“You need to know how to use a chainsaw, strimmers, pesticides and different computer programmes. The Modern Apprenticeship trains you to work in different aspects of forestry from doing surveys to working machines.

“As a Conservation Ranger every day is different, you’re constantly learning so you never get bored. To do this job you have to want to be outdoors all the time, you have to be confident in yourself and your abilities. You have to be able to work with a team or on your own, possibly sitting for hours in the rain waiting to see a black grouse that might never come. For that you also need bags of patience.

“Working for the Forestry Commission is great because they have high standards for training and encourage people to take courses relevant to their job. And there are also lots of people already working here who are willing to share their life’s work with you.”

Find out more about a career in environmental conservation as a ranger