We are Forestry England.
We live and breathe forests.
Job title – Apprentice Craftsperson
Salary - £23,732
Contract type – 2 Year Fixed Term
Hours – 37 per week
Vacancy closes - 23:58, Sunday 7th September 2025
Join us. We're foresters, professionals and experts. We are a passionate team who love to share our enthusiasm and want to make a positive difference for you and the environment.
Together, we’re using our scale and expertise to grow the nation’s forests for everyone. We’re already adapting our landscapes for tomorrow, and getting stuff done today, like creating amazing places and experiences for you to enjoy. We're providing vital homes for wildlife, making our air cleaner to breathe and producing sustainable timber.
What you’ll do…
Please see the job description and L3 Apprenticeship Factsheet below for more information and details about what we need from you and what you can expect from the program.
Where you’ll work…
Yorkshire District covers an area from Teesside to Spurn Head, stretching over the North York Moors National Park, and the Leeds metropolitan are to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The district is responsible for the sustainable management of a 21,000-hectare estate, including some of England most expansive and ecologically important woodland parcels. These forests are of distinct natural importance, and are also steeped in history and culture, surrounding the homes of a diverse population. They attract over 400,000 visits per year, including at the Dalby Forest Visitor Centre. It is our job to manage these woodlands so that they produce a range of public benefits and ensure that they continue to thrive for many generations to come. We do this by managing spaces for wildlife and people, alongside sustainable timber production and carbon capture. We want to do our part to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for Yorkshire Forest District and the more than 3.5 million people who call the area home.
Benefits…
Alongside your salary, Forestry England contributes an average of 28.97% towards your pension. You will become a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.
- 25 days holiday a year, raising by one day every year’s service, up to 30 days (pro-rated for part time employees) plus additional days off such as bank holidays.
- STaR is our employee benefits scheme offering discounts on everyday supermarket shopping, as well as other things such as hotel stays clothes, mobile phones, other electrical items, medical and car insurance, holidays, gym discounts, household bills, Headspace wellbeing app.
- free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to our National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury.
- a commitment to lifelong learning through career development. Forestry England will support your career development in a variety of ways, including continual professional development, support for individual learning plans and sponsored membership of professional bodies.
Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.
How to apply…
You will be asked to write a 200 word statement on your relevant experience and career history, along with a personal statement of no more than 500 words. You will be assessed on both during sifting. More details about how to apply are listed on the application form.
You will be assessed on your experience and technical expertise, as well as the following behaviours at interview –
- Working Together
- Developing Self and Others
Please note that possession of a degree in Forestry or Environmental disciplines, or holding any of the certifications included in the apprenticeship, is not a requirement for application. We particularly encourage those without these qualifications to apply, as the programme is designed to provide comprehensive training from the ground up.
The minimum entry requirements are: Minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade C/4 including maths and English OR a Vocational qualification Level 2, plus GCSE grade C/4 in both maths and English. NB: English & maths Functional Skills Level 2 will be accepted as an alternative to GCSEs.
Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.
If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email [email protected].
If you're planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you've read our guidelines here first.
Read more about our application process and working with us on the Forestry England website.
Nationality requirements…
Read more about nationality requirements here.
Working for the Civil Service…
Forestry England is part of the Civil Service. The Civil Service has a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). This means candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria during the application process will be guaranteed an interview. We also offer a Redeployment Interview Scheme to current civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the role. This role is also part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans and Prison Leaver Recruitment initiative.
Within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to provide conversation in accurate spoken English.
Our recruitment process makes appointments based on fair and open competition and merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in in line with/according to these principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email: [email protected].
