Get on course

If your degree doesn’t cover the specific skills needed for your chosen career, consider taking an additional short course – perhaps in fieldwork, practical conservation or research science – to give you a competitive edge.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Various academic establishments allow students not attending fulltime to take individual modules. The Certificate in Field Ecology offered by Aberystwyth University ( www.aber.

ac.uk) comprises several dozen modules that can be studied as standalone courses – units covering conservation strategies or field survey techniques could be useful for wouldbe conservationists or researchers.

Online or distance-learning options provide flexibility for students, too: the College of Animal Welfare has a Diploma in Countryside and Environment ( www.caw. ac.uk/course/ level-2-diploma- in-countryside-and-environment) taught through distance learning, while the Open University ( www.open.edu/openlearn/ free-courses/full-catalogue) and the ZSL- and WWF-affiliated United for Wildlife Education ( learn. unitedforwildlife.org/course/ index.php?categoryid=4) provide free online learning on conservation-based topics. The Durrell Conservation Academy ( www.durrell.org/ wildlife/academy/courses) offers hands-on intensive training in animal breeding and husbandry, and also conservation management skills. Cotswold Wildlife Park ( www. cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/ education/further-and-highereducation) also runs talks and courses in animal management.