Extended Diploma in Environmental Conservation and Countryside Management L3

Please ensure your application includes correct contact information e.g. mobile number and personal email address.

You can apply for up to two courses (except A Level subjects where you must select a minimum of three).

You will only be invited to book an interview for your 1st choice course initially.

This programme of study is seen as a two-year course and consists of both the Level 3 Diploma and the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Land and Wildlife. This qualification gives you the opportunity to learn about and build on the essentials of working within the countryside, such as estate skills, population surveys, safe use of equipment and machinery, land use and recreation and environmental processes. You will then choose to specialise in either countryside or game.

If you choose the countryside option then you could be studying modules such as ecological concepts and application, environmental interpretation and fresh water and wetland management. You could then go on to study further areas such as farm habitat management, heathland habitat management, coastal management, managing volunteers, outdoor adventure activities or overland expeditions.

Students taking the game option could be focusing on topics such as pest and predator control, use of firearms, ecology of game species and fresh water and wetland management. You could then go on to study further areas and gain skills in areas such as shoot management, working dogs, gamebird production, game management, commercial deer management, captive deer management or upland game management.

Assessment is varied during the two years and will include practical observation, examinations, and written assignments.

You will need to have achieved four GCSEs at Grades 9- 4 including English, Maths and Science or an appropriate Level 2 qualification at Merit with Maths and English at a minimum of Grade 4 if you wish to undertake this course.

You may wish to learn more through an Advanced/Higher Apprenticeship in Environmental Conservation or Game and Wildlife Management, which allows you to combine working for a wildlife trust or estate, or a similar job, typically attending one day a week at college or with a training provider. You could alternatively progress onto further learning within a Higher Education Institution where you could take a course such as:

• Countryside Management Degree (BSc)
• Countryside Conservation Degree (BSc)
• Marine Ecology and Conservation Foundation Science Degree

Career Progression

The two-year qualification exposes you to the whole industry, and the opportunities within it. On completion, it is likely that you will enter the industry by working for an estate, landowner, farm, sporting estate/shoot or a fishery. As you will have gained a breadth and depth of skills and knowledge over a very wide range of units, you could progress within work to become:

In the countryside pathway a

• Countryside ranger
• Countryside warden
• Volunteer manager
• Estate supervisor
• Boundary contractor

In the game pathway a

• Gamekeeper (lowland)
• Gamekeeper (upland)
• Stalker
• Shoot manager
• Beat keeper