News

Monday 30 April 2007

New course for budding conservationists

People looking to work in ranger services, rural tourism and recreation can benefit from a new countryside management course being launched at Nottingham Trent University. The BTEC National Award in Countryside Management (Rural Tourism) will be run from the university’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences at its Brackenhurst campus from October.

The qualification – which can be used to access other further education awards, as well as the Foundation Degree in Environmental Conservation and Countryside – will be delivered with a strong emphasis on practical activities.

Modules include archaeology and landscape history; business management; countryside policies and recreation; countryside tourism; land use; sustainable development; and practical training.

Potential career pathways include forestry and conservation. Other opportunities include work as countryside rangers, wardens and volunteer agency leaders. Students could also establish their own countryside management businesses.

Senior Lecturer in Countryside and Agriculture, Andrew Alder, said: “The use of the countryside for recreation has grown vastly over the years and there are now more rural tourism jobs than ever before. The national parks of Britain are good examples of how tourism and the environment are managed together, and it’s vital that people are equipped with the necessary skills needed for their conservation.”

ENDS

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