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Komdu blessaður and greetings from Iceland!Alistair Scott, from Randalstown describes his work placement as part of his Foundation degree (FdSc) Rural & Countryside Management (RCM) at Greenmount campus.
I completed an eleven week work placement as part of my foundation degree in Iceland over the summer months. As I would love to pursue a career as a Countryside Ranger, I opted for a placement that would provide me with and opportunity to develop my practical countryside management skills and as I really enjoy travelling to new countries. My placement was with Umhverfisstofnun – That’s the Environment Agency of Iceland. I worked as part of a team of 30 volunteers carrying out practical conservation work in some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the country. In total I worked in six different national parks / nature reserves and enjoyed every minute of it. My placement gave me the opportunity to learn how to maintain and repair hiking trails in the national parks, develop my joinery skills by helping to build timber steps, boardwalks and fences. I also spent time studying the Icelandic flora and fauna, improving my bird identification skills. Other aspects of the work included building dry-stone walls, carrying out hedgerow management, and grassland management such as tackling invasive plant species. Working as part of a conservation volunteer team has helped me improve my team working skills, necessary for any career. The placement involved living out of a tent for 11 weeks, sometimes without hot showers for up to two weeks, so it is not for the faint hearted or those who enjoy their home comforts, but it was an experience I will never forget!
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