Education Visits to Forests

Kickstart Scheme (Drystone Walling), Chatsworth Estate Jamie Harris (2021-2022)

Jamie was taken on as part of the governments Kickstart Scheme to learn the art of drystone walling and help the Chatsworth Forestry Team maintain its woodland boundaries. After completing 6 months of work on the Kickstart Team, Jamie has now been taken on as a Forestry Worker part time on the Chatsworth Estate.

“Everyone on the team was really friendly and supportive and keen to help me learn and improve. Being part of the forestry team meant I got involved with lots of other things on top of stone walling, like firewood production, and gave me an idea of all the different things involved with looking after forests. I loved that others saw the pride I had in my work, whether it was repairing a section of wall or producing firewood for the Estate Farm Shop.”

2 - Getting involved

When you employ an apprentice, mentoring is an essential part of the programme. You can also use mentoring skills to support staff, volunteers and those on work placements and internships.

For more guidance on wor placements, internships and volunteering, see the Employers’

checklist: Work placements,

internships, volunteering section.

Mentoring is an informal and supportive relationship where someone with experience shares their knowledge and skills with someone less experienced who wants to learn more or improve in a role.

Mentors provide support to the mentee (for example an apprentice), helping them to understand their role in the business and develop their career path. They also provide a listening ear if the apprentice is facing any problems or challenges. A good mentoring relationship is based on honesty and trust, with the mentor leading the relationship, supporting and listening, and gradually building their confidence and resourcefulness.

Good mentoring can make the difference between keeping an apprentice or not. It is important to have regular meetings to constantly touch base.

Some mentors use platforms like WhatsApp, FaceTime or social media to help support the mentee, especially if they have more than one. However, there is no substitute for a face-to-face chat.

Mentoring