Cairngorms Mountain Heritage Project seeks trainees

Anyone with a passion for the great outdoors of the Cairngorms National Park and who may fancy a new career ‘path’ is being encouraged to apply for one of eight places on a Path Skills Training course, linked to the Cairngorms Mountain Heritage Project.

Trainees will learn a variety of skills in relation to the creation and maintenance of upland and lowland paths including drainage and surface techniques, operation of small plant machinery, landscaping and re-vegetation and woodland work, as well as health and safety, first aid and mountain safety and awareness. Successful applicants will be paid while they train full-time with a start date of the 18 April for a period of eight months, working towards a SVQ Level 2 in Environmental Conservation.

The training course is part of the £2.1 million Cairngorms Mountain Heritage Project, managed by the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust (COAT) with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Scottish Mountain Trust and the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

The project is aimed at conserving the mountains of the Cairngorms National Park for future generations to enjoy, protecting the fragile mountain environment by improving upland paths in order to sustain increasing numbers of visitors. It is set to complete 17 footpaths, totalling 94.26kms or 58 miles over the life of the project.

Dougie Baird, COAT Manager said: ‘It is vital that we have this training initiative at the start of the project, as it will allow people to train up in the required skills to take full advantage of the employment opportunities generated by the project over the next four years. We hope that there are a good number of people keen to get involved’.

Anyone interested in applying to be a trainee path worker should contact Gordon MacDonald at the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust on tel: 01479 810766 or email: [email protected] or visit the COAT website: www.cairngormsoutdooraccess.org.uk

The deadline for applications is Monday 7 March.