University of Kent

DICE students

Above: 2010 DICE Masters student Rissa Edoo from Trinidad and DICE undergraduate Trishant Simlai from India celebrate Holi on the campus lawn, overlooking the cathedral. Photo by Malini Pittet

DICE students come from diverse backgrounds but they share the desire to achieve something for conservation when they leave. Beyond the academic courses on offer, there are many opportunities to expand your experience in this field. The University's very active Conservation Society is based with us, and the Career's Advisory Service is very helpful as well. You might be interested in volunteering:

ENVIRONMENTAL VOLUNTEERING IN KENT

• Wildwood Trust www.wildwoodtrust.org woodland discovery park between Canterbury & Herne Bay. Volunteers needed for: maintenance, gardening and DIY; conservation research, feeding and looking after the animals, shop work and customer care, education work with children. Most volunteers work one day a week but block placements are also available. Working hours are 8am until 4pm in the winter, but during the summer we finish at 5pm. You would start by shadowing the keepers, helping to clean and feed the animals, and with enclosure maintenance. As your experience grows there would be more opportunity for independent work. The work can be quite physically demanding, and sometimes it can be repetitive but it is very rewarding. If you wish to help telephone Cali on 01227 712111 e-mail keepers@wildwoodtrust.org Research projects are available for students: animal behaviour and diet, woodland ecology or conservation projects.
• Blean Woods Nature Reserve www.naturegrid.org.uk/ng-html/blean/bl-blwo.html Less than a mile from the Canterbury campus. There are opportunities for voluntary work. Contact: RSPB, The Site Manager, 11 Garden Close, Rough Common, Canterbury, CT2 9BP. Tel. 01227 455972.
• Canterbury Environmental Education Centre www.naturegrid.org.uk/ceecnews/friends/friends.html at Broad Oak Reserve. Offer volunteering opportunities in research (recording the biodiversity of the reserve), Publishing, Conservation work (reed and scrub control, tree planting, hedge laying), teaching and leading visiting groups and fund raising.
• Howletts www.howletts.net local wild animal parks
• Kent Biodiversity Action Plan www.kentbap.org.uk links to a number of local conservation groups
• Kent Wildlife Trust www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk conservation work in Kent including West Blean Woods. Needs volunteers. Run excellent and cheap wildlife study days on, for example, small mammal and bat identification. Volunteers needed to check livestock at Blean Nature Reserve: Kent Wildlife Trust is using cattle, ponies  and goats to keep growth under control in West Blean and Thornden Woods near Canterbury. Training will be provided. For information on Blean volunteering ring 01227 719506. For volunteering at other Kent Wildlife Trust Sites
  contact Sue Morris, Volunteer Development Officer 01622 662012 sue.morris@kentwildlife.org
• Kentish Stour Countryside Project www.kentishstour.org.uk tel. 01233 813307
• Kent High Weald Project www.khwp.org.uk based in Tunbridge Wells where you can learn small mammal and bat identification

When you are ready to look for a job, this information from the Career's Advisory Service might be useful:

Biodiversity and Conservation Careers page
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Environment.htm

Biodiversity CV
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/environmental-cv.htm

Full Destinations of Kent graduates (1999 - 2009)
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/fdrbases/destinations.htm

Covering letters
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm#Covering

Choosing a career
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/ChoosingCareer.htm

Developing skills
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsmenu.htm

Careers Timeline
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/timeline.htm