Stepping from the classroom into a nature-based career, staying in the local area and earning a great wage with career advancement.

That’s been the success story behind recent careers expos on the Mid North Coast where Forestry Corporation has informed students of the pathway to employment through an Environmental Science and Management degree at the Port Macquarie campus of Charles Sturt University.

“Two of those students now have roles in Forestry Corporation’s Wauchope-based ecology team and they are proving to be valuable additions to the team,” Forestry Corporation’s Senior Field Ecologist Mark Drury said.

Ecologist Levi Brett is one of the local university students who has recently graduated from CSU in Port Macquarie and obtained employment with Forestry Corporation.

“The hands-on experience I get with animals with firefighting and mapping has been great, it’s a flexible workplace and there are lots of career paths in forestry – all of these positions are based in different regional locations,” Levi said.

“I was first introduced to Forestry when Senior Ecologist Chris Slade gave some lectures while I was studying at university, so I followed that with some work experience and later on I applied as a Forestry officer undertaking surveys in the field.

“I really enjoyed that, so I applied for a field ecologist position, and I have been in that role now for almost a year.

“Now Forestry has given me my opportunity to study my Honours hosting me out in the field where I am studying threatened Golden Tipped bats and their recovery post bushfires,” he said.

Ecologists in Forestry Corporation undertake broad habitat monitoring programs recording interactions with flora and fauna along with various preharvest surveys.

For many in the team, the appeal of the career is working outdoors with wildlife in a role that’s focused on protecting endangered species.

“Students have participated in tree marking, recreation area maintenance, road maintenance, ecology surveys for threatened plants and animals, wildlife habitat clump field reviews, cultural heritage work, all amongst some of the most scenic locations on the coast,” Mr Drury said.

A recent Port Macquarie Careers Day co-ordinated by Mid Coast Connect was attended by more than 1200 high school students.

Forestry Corporation had five local staff present with a good display of tools of the trade, both old and new, a category 9 firefighting unit, ecology monitoring equipment, Forest E learning virtual reality headsets and even a display of preserved local forest animals.

A similar careers day was also held at Taree organised by the Taree Universities Campus.

“Around 2,000 students from all over the district attended and five staff were kept busy all day explaining what a day in the life of a forestry worker is and how diverse and exciting a career in the industry could be,” Mr Drury said.

“The forest office at Wauchope has also hosted around 10 work experience students from both local high schools as well as students from the environmental science and management degree at the Port Macquarie Campus of Charles Sturt University,” he said.

To find out more about careers with Forestry Corporation visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au