The Programme’s are vocational and mostly delivered at OCN / NVQ Level 2 or 3, making it accessible to a wide range of people. Trainees come from a variety of backgrounds and include those who have been long term unemployed looking to get back into work, young people (aged 14-19) with no other formal qualifications, retired people looking to become more active in their community and recent graduates needing to develop and accredit practical skills and work experience. Quote from Simone Loveday: 'This programme has allowed me to gain the essential skills and experience to pursue a career in environmental education and, perhaps more importantly, gave me a chance to prove that I am capable of meeting the challenging and demanding nature of the sector. I most certainly would not have achieved my current role as Waste Education Officer with Buckinghamshire Waste Partnership, which I am enjoying more everyday.' Courses offered are varied and provide a number of different options, which enable learners to tailor a programme to meet their own needs. Options include taught sessions, portfolio building and work experience, covering a range of heritage skills (e.g. hedge laying, land based habitat management, dry stone walling, survey training, environmental and practical conservation). Sheffield Wildlife Trust aims to:- · Recruit and support trainees from a diverse range of backgrounds · Provide a varied package of specialist training with appropriate support · Develop specialist heritage skills which are in decline and in danger of dying out · Develop online materials and new courses · Support people to use their newly acquired skills to make a difference in their local neighbourhood This work also supports local biodiversity, environmental regeneration and community engagement across a number of sites in South Yorkshire.