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18+ and Early Career

18+ and Early Career

Turning 18 opens up even more opportunities to get involved in nature and heritage across the Chilterns.

In the sections below, you’ll find information on:

  • how you can access traineeships, placements, volunteering, citizen science, and trusteeship opportunities
  • how to get your voice heard in the sector
  • resources to help you find volunteer and career options

Traineeships, placements and apprenticeships

Traineeships offer a practical route into a career in conservation, helping participants develop skills, gain experience and improve their employment prospects.

Programmes are often tailored to the needs of the individual, with training providers responsible for delivering and supporting the placement.

While opportunities in the Chilterns are currently limited, organisations are working to expand provision through funded projects and initiatives.

Some example opportunities:

A group of young people working with an adult to install a wildflower circle

Amersham Museum's 'Bring it Back' group installing a wild flower circle in Amersham church yard

Chiltern Rangers CIC recognises the barriers many people face when pursuing a career in conservation. They offer a variety of unpaid work placements for University and College students, and those seeking a career change. Options include long-term, summer and bespoke placements tailored to individual needs.

The Emerging Talent Placements Programme provides safe and quantitative heritage based work experience to 18-30 year olds from underrepresented audiences.

Participants may then progress to a six-month salaried placement, providing valuable skills, experience and connections within Historic England and the wider heritage sector.

The Chilterns Heritage & Archaeology Partnership CIC run an annual training excavation suitable for ages 16+, offering a hands-on introduction to archaeology – excavation, recording, illustration, site photography and more.

Held at a different location each year, the excavation is suitable for both beginners and those with some archaeological experience, providing practical fieldwork skills and a deeper understanding of archaeological methods.

Participants receive a Skills Passport and certificate of completion, which can support applications for graduate traineeships or help meet the fieldwork requirements of many Archaeology and Anthropology degree courses. Several 2025 CHAP participants have gone on to study or work in archaeology.

Watch a video of a young volunteer talking about their excavation experience on our FAQs page.

CHAP also run community excavations and guided walks. Please get in touch for more info.

Bring it Back is for young people aged 18-25 who are looking to break free from the ordinary and reconnect with nature and history in Amersham.

Working with Wild Amersham and Amersham Museum, the group meets regularly in Old Amersham alongside experts in biodiversity and history. Sessions focus on discovering more about the area around St Mary’s Church and taking practical action to reveal forgotten history, enhance biodiversity and breathe new life into local spaces. No lectures, no dull tours – just real experiences, and a crew of like-minded people shaping something new. 

Locally, the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and Beds, Cambs and Northants Wildlife Trusts are big providers of traineeships in the sector. Trainees generally attend three days a week for 6-12 months, undertaking practical experience and training.

More than 80% of BBOWT’s Volunteer Nature Reserve Trainees go on to paid employment in roles such as Reserve Warden, Ranger, Land Manager or Ecologist, or progress into higher education. While these volunteer positions are unpaid, BBOWT usually covers some travel expenses and provides extensive training, hands-on experience and opportunities to gain qualifications such as first aid or chainsaw certification.

Opportunities are offered as and when available and are highly sought after.

Watch a fantastic video to get an insight into what the traineeships offer on our FAQs page.

Apprenticeships combine paid employment with training and study, allowing people aged 16+ to earn a wage, receive holiday pay and gain job-specific skills while working towards a recognised qualification. They are delivered through a partnership between an employer, the apprentice and a training provider, college or university.

Apprenticeships are based on real occupations. Opportunities exist for roles such as Countryside Worker, Countryside Ranger, Ecologist, Cultural Heritage Conservator and Environmental Practitioner, although not all are available in or near the Chilterns. Apprenticeships can take from 8 months to 6 years to complete, depending on the type and level of the apprenticeship.

Find a local apprenticeship

On occasion there can be ad hoc traineeships provided through funded schemes – keep an eye out for schemes in development, such as Not Bourne Yesterday, and Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor and the Ray (RBOR).

Duke of Edinburgh for ages 14-24, providing the opportunity to volunteer and gain valuable work experience in a variety of areas including the outdoors, and combatting climate change.

The John Muir Trust’s John Muir award is open to children from upper primary to adults, either through an organisation or on a self guided basis.

English Heritage’s Shout Out Loud project provides placements in roles including social media, film-making, research, and evaluation, advertised on the English Heritage Jobs page.

Additionally, some opportunities are listed at Countryside Jobs Service and Museum Development South East.

Volunteering

Volunteer opportunities for over 18s in the Chilterns are diverse, ranging from practical conservation work and education activities to administration, social media, fundraising and supporting museum collections.

While volunteering is unpaid, some organisations cover expenses such as travel. Many roles include training and skill development, making volunteering a great way to gain experience, particularly for those considering a career in conservation or heritage. Equipment is usually provided, and many roles offer flexible hours to fit around other commitments. Having your own transport can be helpful, although some organisations may be able to assist with travel, and lift-sharing can sometimes be arranged.

young adults taking part in an owl pellet dissection session

Amersham Museum's 'Bring it Back' group dissecting owl pellets with BBOWT

Most organisations will ask volunteers to sign a simple agreement outlining roles, responsibilities and expectations, helping to ensure everyone stays safe.

Volunteering offers many benefits, from improving wellbeing, confidence and fitness, to meeting like-minded people and giving back to your community. It can also provide valuable work experience and help develop skills such as teamwork, leadership and communication.

Further down the page, you will find suggestions for where to look for opportunities.

Citizen science

Citizen science is a growing area of volunteering within conservation, allowing volunteers to participate in science, through data gathering – for example contributing to the monitoring of plant / butterfly / riverfly species in local areas, or cultural heritage such as digital archiving.

Volunteers act as the “eyes and ears” of the environment, crucial for identifying ecological changes. The data gathered is vital to informing conservation decisions and monitoring the progress of nature recovery in the Chilterns and beyond. All levels of experience are welcome. You don’t need to be an expert as free training is given – just bring along your enthusiasm. Those with experience are equally welcome, such as keen birdwatchers, or people with expertise in water quality or data presentation. Some examples:

young woman taking part in a river clean and collecting litter

A young woman doing a river clean with Chiltern Rangers, in High Wycombe

Citizen Scientists are contributing to our knowledge and monitoring changes that are taking place on our precious chalk streams.

Opportunities include riverfly (invertebrate) monitoring, water vole surveys, mapping sediment sources which pollute the river and carrying out pre and post river restoration assessments. If you don’t live near the River Chess, there are opportunities to take part citizen science activities for other Chilterns chalk streams.

Tracking the Impact is a citizen science project monitoring the state of nature and wildlife in the Buckinghamshire Chilterns. Each volunteer is allocated a one kilometre survey ‘square’, in which they regularly record the numbers of butterflies, breeding birds or plant species they find. If you join you are offered free training on species identification, survey methods and data entry – a fantastic learning opportunity. The data gathered will help inform and back up wildlife conservation decisions.

National organisations like BTO welcome volunteers to carry out citizen science or RSPB’s Great big bird watch, as well as Habitats and Heritage.

Trusteeships

In the UK, the minimum age to be a charity trustee is generally 16 for incorporated charities (companies or Charitable Incorporated Organisations – CIOs) and 18 for unincorporated associations or trusts. While according to gov.uk less than 3% of trustees in the UK are currently under 30, those who do join boards report high levels of satisfaction, with 80% likely to recommend the role. Being a trustee offers young people a unique opportunity to gain high-level leadership experience, accelerate their career development, and make a tangible impact on a cause they care about. While often considered a role for older individuals, being a young trustee provides a fast-track into governance, allowing them to shape the direction of a charity while developing skills in strategy, finance, and risk management.

young adults around a meeting table

Young people reviewing work done with Wild Amersham and the local churchyard as part of the 'Bring it Back' group

Young trustees bring fresh, modern perspectives that are vital for the sustainability of a charity. Young people can often provide authentic insights into the needs of younger beneficiaries, making the charity more relevant. Trusteeship provides cost-effective personal development for the young person while offering the charity crucial, diverse, and innovative insights.

Resources and young trusteeships opportunities.

What is it like to volunteer?

Chiltern Rangers have put together two videos – available in English, Polish, Makaton and soon to be in Urdu as well. The first which shows a typical conservation session with Chiltern Rangers and volunteers, for people to see what it’s like before they arrive. Secondly, of their ‘Green Thursday’ sessions, for which transport is provided – the film is to allay anxiety about where the minibus departs from.

Watch and find out more
Chiltern Rangers staff member unloading the truck for a conservation session

Where to start looking for volunteer opportunities

Start by thinking about what interests you most. Would you prefer to be outdoors or behind the scenes? Do you enjoy working as part of a team, or would a more independent role suit you better? Consider what skills and experience you’d like to gain, how much time you can commit, and when you’re available to volunteer.

A good place to start is by exploring the websites, social media channels and newsletters of local conservation and heritage organisations. These might include local museums, Chiltern Rangers, The Chiltern Society, BBOWT, BCN Wildlife Trust, and town or village-based community groups. There are also several volunteering websites that bring together opportunities from different organisations.

National conservation organisations, such as the National Trust and English Heritage, may also offer volunteering opportunities in the Chilterns. Check their websites directly or browse the listings below.

Local listing sites

Use “green volunteering” filter.

Bedfordshire opportunities

The Conservation Volunteers

Focuses on practical habitat management and “Green Gyms”.

Local “Friends of Parks” Groups are often worth a look for uber local volunteering opportunities.

National listing sites and organisations

Some of the job listings sites below also list voluntary roles.

Volunteering Matters has hundreds of full-time residential placements across the whole of the UK lasting for between 6 and 12 months. Opportunities are open to 18 to 35 year olds, and volunteers are normally placed away from their home area. Although you don’t receive a salary, volunteers are provided with free accommodation and expenses for food and living costs.

YHA has a range of volunteering opportunities and work placements available in their 200 youth hostels across England and Wales, both home-based and residential.

 

Habitats & Heritage focuses on local environmental projects.

Making your voice heard

If you are keen to take action for the environment, meet liked minded people, and share your concerns and hopes for the planet, all while gaining skills which are useful for transferring into the workplace, there are several ways of doing this locally and nationally. Voices are crucial in conservation, not least because the impacts of biodiversity loss and climate change will most directly affect the younger generations.

Young ambassador volunteers exploring Wycombe Museum

Young ambassador volunteers exploring Wycombe Museum

Luton Youth Network supports young people aged 11–25 to lead and organise projects, including the annual Luton Youth Climate Action Summit.

BCN Wildlife Trust’s Young People’s Forum is made up of young people aged 13-24 aiming to help the Trust work better for young people and inspire action for wildlife.

In early 2026 Wycombe Museum launched a youth ambassadors programme, seeking 5 youth ambassadors – look out for more info.

The annual Youth in Nature Summit in Cambridge is a fantastic day designed for young people aged 14-25 by young people.

Job listing sites & careers fairs

If you are keen to start or switch into a career in conservation, there are some jobs sites which could be useful:

Further inspiration

Read on for case studies and stories showcasing volunteering, traineeships and other opportunities that may inspire your next steps.

Young ranger leading a scrub bash in the Chilterns

Young Chiltern Rangers staff member leading a scrub bash for young people in the Chilterns

In early 2026, Amersham Museum recruited two young Associate Trustees to join its Board, supported by the Kids in Museums programme. Aged under 30, the trustees bring fresh perspectives to the museum’s strategy and decision-making while gaining valuable skills and experience. Since attending their first meeting in March, they have already contributed new ideas and identified areas of the museum’s work they are keen to support.

Two paid traineeships were provided through Chalk, Cherries and Chairs in 2024 – read their stories.

The Chiltern Open Air Museum had funding for four paid traineeships over a period of 5 years, two in Collections and Interpretation, and two in Events, Marketing and Visitor Experience.

BCN Wildlife Trust launched Wilder Luton traineeships in 2024, find out what their two trainees got up to and watch this great video for a further insight:

Image credits: Neil Marshment Photography

Back to opportunities for young people

Have an opportunity? Get in touch!

If you have an opportunity and you’d like it to be listed on these pages – we’d love to hear from you!

Drop us an email at communications@chilterns.org.uk