In my experience . . .
Getting landed with lots of ‘odd jobs’ around the village gave Tim Cogdon, Parish Councillor, the inspiration he needed to change careers.
But BTCV gave him the experience and qualifications to make it really happen.
After a 6-month course, Tim found himself with an NVQ in Land-Based Operations, and an industry ticket in chainsaw use. He then came back to the BTCV team and signed up as a Volunteer Officer to support staff teaching the next batch of recruits.
For dedicating 3 days a week for the length of the course Tim got the vital experience and confidence needed to back up his own training – and the opportunity to attend further workshops and gain some additional qualifications on subjects such as Equal Opportunities, First Aid, Health and Safety, using brushcutters and minibus driving.
“Altogether it was an excellent thing to do,” said Tim. Before attending the NVQ course and working with BTCV there were always sections on countryside job application forms which he could not complete. “By the end I could have ticked virtually all the boxes, putting me in a much better position to get through the short-listing round with any applications.” He has now set himself up to work successfully on wodland management.
Though becoming a VO meant a reasonable commitment in terms of time Tim admits he would happily recommend it to anyone interested in working in countryside management: “As long as you go into it with the right attitude you can get so much out of it.”
