My start to the Wilder Luton Traineeship!

Have a read about our trainee Emily's time so far working with the Wilder Luton team!

a trainee stood in front of hessian matting with plants recently planted in the bankside

Hi! I’m Emily, one of the latest additions to the Wilder Luton Team, here as a trainee for 6 months. Today I’m going to tell you a bit about how I got here, how I think the traineeship is going, and my favourite parts!

So… In June this year, I graduated from the University of Exeter with a BSc in Zoology after spending 3 years studying in Cornwall, and it was safe to say I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the idea of moving back home after. Like many recent graduates I was on the job hunt and was lucky enough to stumble upon this. I was drawn by the prospect of all the experience I would gain, but I also just wanted the chance to explore some nice nature spots closer to home and feel excited about Luton. The interview process itself was a great chance to practice talking in a professional setting, and to ask questions about the role, then soon after I was called to say I had been chosen for the traineeship!

Now, nearly 2 months in I’m already feeling a lot more confident in where I see myself after this traineeship and in my ability to get there. With the varied nature of the role, it has been great for giving me a chance to try out and learn what jobs I enjoy more than others, and what opportunities I would want to follow after completing my time here. No matter what the job of the day is, I always feel like I’m developing some form of skill that would help me in my future career, whether that is admin and content creation, physical skills, organisation of volunteers and events, or more specific new qualifications like first aid training!

Although I’m interested in agroecology and community growing, my favourite days on the job are fast becoming the ones where we go out and join the Luton Borough Council volunteers for practical conservation sessions! It is so lovely getting to know the regulars who attend, and also important work getting the public to join in and interact with the environment. Those days are also heavily fuelled by tea and biscuits, which may be another reason they’re a favourite haha! Any job involving engaging the public does feel really rewarding to me, so I know I will continue to enjoy working on the community and education side of things.

I would say that the conservation sector is so diverse, and so it can be a bit overwhelming when you first start going down that route to figure out where you want to end up. This traineeship is great for if you already have found your specific interest, and also equally as good if you haven’t!