An opinion piece: “Time to put an end to Voluntary Traineeships?”

There are multiple reasons why people may be motivated to volunteer, and career development has always been one of these, but we need to take a long hard look at these “trainee” roles and consider carefully if they are appropriate volunteer opportunities for forward thinking conservation organisations to be recruiting for. This is something we have been talking about for far too long, it’s time to actually take action and set some industry standards. Could we form a working group? 

Join together to set up a standard that serves both individuals and the sector? We need to hear from everyone: assistants, rangers, volunteer managers, senior leadership, trustees and, of course, students and trainees. 

So consider this a call to action, and if you want to get involved, make sure you make yourself heard on the Facebook page. Let’s see if we are brave enough to consider real and impactful change.

Read the full article here