Louisa Reeve
Student spotlight details
Following a change of career from the Great Britain Rowing Team to an ecology traineeship, Louisa found the part-time Postgraduate Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques perfect for studying alongside work.
'Before I enrolled on the Postgraduate Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques I was waiting to start an Ecology Traineeship with the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT). I had just finished working for an adventure travel company for a couple of years and before that, I had been training as part of the Great Britain Rowing Team for 10 years. I applied for the traineeship with BBOWT as part of a career change. I wanted to work in the ecology and conservation sector but had no experience beyond my undergraduate degree in Natural Science which was probably a bit out of date. I was considering signing up for a master's degree and came across the PGCert which would fit perfectly alongside my more practical traineeship rather than having to go back to full-time study.
'I found the statistics module most challenging, having never used the statistics programming that the course was based on and having not given maths much thought since school! It was rewarding to learn a new skill though. I really enjoyed the visit to Wytham Woods where we saw some bats being recorded and helped with some bird ringing among other things. The research project was another highlight; I chose to investigate the diversity and abundance of moths on a local chalk grassland regeneration project, with lots of early mornings counting and identifying moths. I now have a slight obsession with moths!
'Since finishing the course I’ve finished my training with BBOWT and have started working as an assistant ecologist with Future Nature, their ecological consultancy. It’s been great to put into practice some of the methods I learnt in the course and to contribute to some really interesting projects to enhance biodiversity across the region.
'If you’re looking for a course that will give you a good understanding of current ecology techniques that you can fit in alongside some practical experience then this is an excellent choice.'
