Countryside Ranger Apprentice

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust

Cleator Moor (CA25 5HU)

Closes in 12 days (Sunday 5 July 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 23 June 2026

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Summary

You’ll help care for the National Cycle Network and surrounding land
across the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust Estate. This hands on apprenticeship builds skills in pathway maintenance, habitat management, and repairs, working with experienced staff, volunteers, and partners.

Wage

£25,074 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

The pay may be negotiated and may rise after a probation period has
been successfully completed.

Training course
Countryside ranger (level 4)
Hours
Monday - Friday with occasional weekend work, shifts to be confirmed.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 19 October 2026

Duration

2 years

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Due to the driving aspect of this role you will need a full clean UK driving licence.

Looking for an active career where each day varies? This Level 4
apprenticeship is a great opportunity to work outdoors, learn practical skills, and make a real difference.

You’ll be part of a small, supportive team maintaining cycle paths and
green spaces, using tools and machinery, driving across sites, and helping protect spaces for wildlife and communities. You'll oversee tasks such as record maintenance and supervising contractors.

From working with volunteers, running events, learning how to safely use power tools and manage land, you’ll gain valuable, real-world experience while building confidence and skills for your future.

If you enjoy being outdoors, staying active, and working with people, this could be the ideal apprenticeship for you.

Where you'll work

Brewery Yard
Birks Road
Cleator Moor
CA25 5HU

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

UNIVERSITY CENTRE SOMERSET COLLEGE GROUP

Training course

Countryside ranger (level 4)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Assess, prioritise, maintain and evaluate a safe working environment following relevant legislation, work place policies and procedures including identifying hazards, assessing risk and minimising risk and implementing and complying with control measures.
  • Comply with and ensure others comply with legal requirements, industry regulations and standards and organisational policies, processes, procedures and professional codes and ethics.
  • Comply with environmental best practices and procedures and follow sustainability and waste management practices.
  • Organise and prioritise environmental and land management work activities such as habitat management, work associated with public access or assets such as bridges and scheduled monuments. This includes assessing tasks, identifying and allocating the required resources to deliver the task effectively and review completed work.
  • Manage a range of habitats and species using a variety of specialist techniques and resources which takes account of the local area, habitat, species of flora and fauna and levels of associated protection such as felling, pruning, planting, cutting, mowing, coppicing, thinning, spraying and uprooting, livestock grazing and controlling vegetation and invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed.
  • Produce short or medium term work, site, habitat action or small scale project plans for the delegated areas of responsibility for and in line with organisations requirement and based on sound knowledge of ecological principles and in line with relevant legislation.
  • Delegate tasks to volunteers/ team members.
  • Deliver work and projects on time, to a high standard, using allocated resources, to planned budget, method and quality and represent value for money e.g. environmental and land management, public engagement, interpretation or survey work.
  • Manage workload, taking into account competing and changes in priorities and demonstrate problem solving ability.
  • Communicate with the correct authorities and seek advice on land, nature conservation and asset management, such as Historic England for Scheduled Monuments or ecologists.
  • Organise and prioritise asset and infrastructure construction, maintenance and management works including any surveys and alternative plans.
  • Construct, maintain and manage a range of boundaries, public access routes, infrastructure and assets using a variety of specialist techniques, tools, equipment and resources.
  • Correctly identify the unique range of native and invasive species and habitats in the geographical area.
  • Survey, analyse, communicate and evaluate results for habitats, species and countryside assets.
  • Select and use a range of work-based tools, machinery and equipment e.g. 4WD vehicles, trailers, winches and other powered and non-powered tools such as chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmer and hand tools, mobile devices and other technology such as GPS, tablets and cameras.
  • Instruct others how to use tools and machinery correctly and safely and ensure operator competence.
  • Complete records associated with tools and machinery e.g. maintenance, use, vibration and noise levels etc.
  • Engage and communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders including the public, landowners, tenants, contractors and colleagues.
  • Supervise, motivate and work alongside others while undertaking habitat management, construction and maintenance of boundaries, access routes and associated countryside assets.
  • Present information to the public and relevant stakeholders on planned works, site designation, its species and habitats and techniques used to manage an area.
  • Deal with emergencies and incidents as appropriate within the limits of their responsibility, authority and level of training.
  • Design, produce and evaluate various types of environmental interpretation and information provision for a range of audiences.
  • Speak in public and engage with a wide range of audiences such as stakeholders e.g. tenants, local community or interest groups, volunteers, educational and corporate groups and members of the public on a range of topics. For example, planned or ongoing habitat or access management, local flora and fauna or history and archaeology of an area.
  • Recognise strengths and areas for development, creates SMART objectives in line with organisational objectives, participates in development opportunities and regularly seeks feedback.
  • Make decisions based on the organisations principles and relevant and accurate information.
  • Assess, prioritise, maintain and evaluate a safe working environment following relevant legislation, work place policies and procedures including identifying hazards, assessing risk and minimising risk and implementing and complying with control measures.
  • Comply with and ensure others comply with legal requirements, industry regulations and standards and organisational policies, processes, procedures and professional codes and ethics.
  • Comply with environmental best practices and procedures and follow sustainability and waste management practices.
  • Organise and prioritise environmental and land management work activities such as habitat management, work associated with public access or assets such as bridges and scheduled monuments. This includes assessing tasks, identifying and allocating the required resources to deliver the task effectively and review completed work.
  • Manage a range of habitats and species using a variety of specialist techniques and resources which takes account of the local area, habitat, species of flora and fauna and levels of associated protection such as felling, pruning, planting, cutting, mowing, coppicing, thinning, spraying and uprooting, livestock grazing and controlling vegetation and invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed.
  • Produce short or medium term work, site, habitat action or small scale project plans for the delegated areas of responsibility for and in line with organisations requirement and based on sound knowledge of ecological principles and in line with relevant legislation.
  • Delegate tasks to volunteers/ team members.
  • Deliver work and projects on time, to a high standard, using allocated resources, to planned budget, method and quality and represent value for money e.g. environmental and land management, public engagement, interpretation or survey work.
  • Manage workload, taking into account competing and changes in priorities and demonstrate problem solving ability.
  • Communicate with the correct authorities and seek advice on land, nature conservation and asset management, such as Historic England for Scheduled Monuments or ecologists.
  • Organise and prioritise asset and infrastructure construction, maintenance and management works including any surveys and alternative plans.
  • Construct, maintain and manage a range of boundaries, public access routes, infrastructure and assets using a variety of specialist techniques, tools, equipment and resources.
  • Correctly identify the unique range of native and invasive species and habitats in the geographical area.
  • Survey, analyse, communicate and evaluate results for habitats, species and countryside assets.
  • Select and use a range of work-based tools, machinery and equipment e.g. 4WD vehicles, trailers, winches and other powered and non-powered tools such as chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmer and hand tools, mobile devices and other technology such as GPS, tablets and cameras.
  • Instruct others how to use tools and machinery correctly and safely and ensure operator competence.
  • Complete records associated with tools and machinery e.g. maintenance, use, vibration and noise levels etc.
  • Engage and communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders including the public, landowners, tenants, contractors and colleagues.
  • Supervise, motivate and work alongside others while undertaking habitat management, construction and maintenance of boundaries, access routes and associated countryside assets.
  • Present information to the public and relevant stakeholders on planned works, site designation, its species and habitats and techniques used to manage an area.
  • Deal with emergencies and incidents as appropriate within the limits of their responsibility, authority and level of training.
  • Design, produce and evaluate various types of environmental interpretation and information provision for a range of audiences.
  • Speak in public and engage with a wide range of audiences such as stakeholders e.g. tenants, local community or interest groups, volunteers, educational and corporate groups and members of the public on a range of topics. For example, planned or ongoing habitat or access management, local flora and fauna or history and archaeology of an area.
  • Recognise strengths and areas for development, creates SMART objectives in line with organisational objectives, participates in development opportunities and regularly seeks feedback.
  • Make decisions based on the organisations principles and relevant and accurate information.

Training schedule

Countryside Ranger Level 4 Apprenticeship Standard:

  • Level 4 Countryside Ranger - Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours
  • LANTRA Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work
  • C&G / NPTC 0014-26 L2 Award in the Safe Use of Brush-cutters and Trimmer

More training information

  • Work towards qualifications for plant and ride on mowers (NPTC or equivalent)
  • Work towards qualifications in chainsaw use, strimmers (NPTC or equivalent)
  • Work towards qualifications PA1 and PA6 application of pesticides (NPTC or equivalent)

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4/C or above)
  • Maths (grade 4/C or above)

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

Science (grade 4/C or above)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Team working
  • Physical fitness

Other requirements

The work can be physically demanding and in all weathers.

Interviews week commencing 20th July.

Attendance is required at UCS College Group for a week’s block release on two occasions during the apprenticeship and for the rangers mandatory tickets (typically two days).

About this employer

If our streets were safer, if our air was cleaner. If we connected with our communities. If we reconnected with the world around us.


If every person in every community could connect with the things that
matter to them safely, healthily and joyfully.


If our everyday actions added up to something much, much bigger. Imagine if one small change could do all that.


We’ve been making that change happen since 1977.

Making it possible for every one of us to roll, ride, amble, gambol, stroll, stride, trek and tread.

And today, we’re gearing up to do more than ever.

Uniting under a new name for Sustrans and a renewed mission to deliver more joy per journey, more peace per pedal, more smiles per mile.


To work with communities to effect change on the ground and evidence the impact to influence policies that push those changes further. It’s grassroots action with added oomph.


We call it people-powered movement.

https://www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

A permanent post may be available for suitable candidates on successful
completion of the apprenticeship.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

UNIVERSITY CENTRE SOMERSET COLLEGE GROUP

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000037878.

Apply now

Closes in 12 days (Sunday 5 July 2026 at 11:59pm)