Samantha Acheson from Tassagh in Co. Armagh describes her work placement as part of her Foundation degree (FdSc) in Rural & Countryside Management (RCM) at CAFRE, Greenmount campus:
My name is Samantha and I decided to complete my work placement period as part of my RCM course at Loughgall Country Park. The facilities on site at this park include an 18-hole golf course, walking and cycling routes, lake with fishing stands and a range of semi-natural habitat.
As part of work placement duties I worked alongside Alliance Youth Work, on their EDEN (EDucation in the ENvironment) project which aims to develop young peoples’ understanding about the world around them and undertake projects that will enhance biodiversity. A group of young people attend Loughgall Country Park every Tuesday where they are currently creating a butterfly garden and building a mini beast hotel which will be good for wildlife in the future. Other tasks that I have carried out with the group include demonstrating and assisting on how to plant a hedgerow using local native plants. We are also building three styles, which will act as entrances to the woodland in the country park. This task builds on the Estate skills module that I was taught in year 1 of the Rural & Countryside Management course which was a major learning curve for me. Having to teach other young people joinery skills has also been a challenging but very rewarding experience.
This work placement period has helped me to decide on my future career – I want to become an environmental education officer after I complete the RCM course, therefore this has been a very worthwhile experience.
Source: CAFRE – Hands On Learning At Loughgall Country Park For Greenmount Student
