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BSc (Hons) - Professional Forester Degree Apprenticeship

Do you want to make a positive impact on the world and help expand and preserve our existing forests for future generations? With a vibrant forestry sector and increasing demand for forest managers, there’s never been a better time to study our BSc (Hons) Professional Forester Degree Apprenticeship.

The Professional Forester Degree Apprenticeship (PFA) offers a unique blend of on-the-job training and academic study, equipping you with the skills and knowledge needed to become a successful forest manager.

Our course is delivered in 6 x 1-week long study blocks across a variety of campuses and locations designed to maximise the local woodland resources in Ambleside, Carlisle and Cannock Chase. Our campus in Ambleside is where most of the study blocks will be held and is nestled within the stunning Lake District National Park. At all of these locations you will have access to a wide range of forests and woodlands that will enhance and inform your studies.

Applicants on the PFA are required to be in full-time employment and will have been recruited onto, or nominated for, the apprenticeship. The University is not able to match applicants to employers.

Accredited by:

Institute of Chartered Foresters, and Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education

Professional Forester Degree Apprenticeship cover image

Course Overview

The University of Cumbria is home to the National School of Forestry (NSF) in Ambleside. As the biggest provider of undergraduate forestry and woodland courses in England, we have a strong reputation for delivering work-ready forestry graduates. Most of your studies will be based at the National School of Forestry's campus in Ambleside, although some modules will be taught in Carlisle and at the Forestry Commission Training Centre at Cannock Chase. At Cannock Chase, you will learn within over 2,500 hectares of a mixed forest estate managed by Forestry England.

This higher-level degree apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience as an apprentice working at least 30 hours per week. Alongside this, you will explore sustainable forest management on an academic level. Your studies will range from the basic principles of ecology to the use of Geographical Information Systems and advanced silviculture. Degree apprenticeships are fully funded, so there is no tuition cost for the apprentice to pay, and you'll also receive a salary from your employer.

Enhancing your employability is at the heart of this degree. We consulted a wide range of employers on the content of the programme, including the Forestry Commission, the National Trust, the Institute of Chartered Foresters and many private forest management companies. This ensures our course enables you to develop the knowledge and professional skills most sought by employers.

You will graduate with a degree accredited by both the Institute of Chartered Foresters and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, ready to continue a fulfilling career in forest and woodland management or progress your studies to postgraduate level. Our forestry courses have strong employability prospects: we have many alumni who now manage large forestry organisations, and recent graduates have progressed rapidly up the management ranks.

On this course you will...

Gain hands-on forestry experience and develop professional connections as an apprentice.
Back up your practical experience with academic studies, learning from lecturers with significant professional forestry experience as well as strong academic and research skills.
Immerse yourself in your forestry studies in the Lake District's many woodlands and forests.
Join the National School of Forestry (NSF), benefiting from more than 50 years of experience in educating and training professional and award-winning foresters.
Boost your employability through our excellent links with the Royal Forestry Society, Institute of Chartered Foresters and many other forestry organisations.

Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
Course LocationAmbleside
Institute Institute of Science and Environment
Delivery StyleBlended learning
Course DurationFull-time: 3 Years
Course Start PointSeptember
AwardBSc (Hons)
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysAmbleside
All

Minimum entry requirements

UCAS Tariff points

Tuition fees

None

UK | Year

Fully funded

Tuition Fees Policy

Course Structure

What you will learn

On-the-job training is integral to your learning on this degree apprenticeship. As an apprentice, you will complete at least 30 hours' work per week with your employer. This practical learning will be complemented by the academic study of a range of modules that cover the three pillars of sustainable forest management: environmental sustainability, social acceptability, and economic viability. As well as these three underpinning themes, you will study professional modules. These develop specific skills crucial to being a competent forest manager.

You will learn progressively on this forestry degree course, starting by gaining a basic understanding of professional forestry and gradually advancing towards more independent learning in your final year. Your year three end point assessment will involve you creating your own forest management plan or woodland creation plan.

Year one

Introduction to Professional Forestry
You will have time to develop your conifer and broadleaf tree identification as well as academic writing report writing and an introductions to the use of mapping software.
Measuring Trees and Forests
To learn to apply the standard methods of tree and woodland measurement used in British forestry.
Silviculture
Aims to give a grounding in silvicultural practice, to include a thorough and applied understanding of plantation, conservation and amenity woodland establishment and maintenance.
Practical Forest Skills
The aim of this module is to introduce you to a range of traditional and modern practical forestry skills. The safe and effective use of tools is central to the module with an emphasis on the planning and organisation of working sites.
Wood Utilisation and Processing
You will get an understanding of the utilisation of wood as a raw material. During this module students will cover the biology of wood and how the properties of wood relate to their potential utilisation.
Woodland Ecology
Gives a broad introduction to ecology and ecological processes. Ecology, the study of interactions between organisms and with their environments, provides a theoretical and practical framework for managing and working with natural and semi-natural ecosystems, but also in managed landscapes.

Year two

Geographical Information Systems
The aim of this module is to provide students with a sound understanding of the theory and application of GIS in a manner relevant to their field of study and potential future employment.
Forest Policy and Governance
Throughout the module, students will develop the knowledge and skills required to manage modern, sustainable, multipurpose forestry within the constraints of national and international legislative and policy frameworks.
Forest Health and Protection
The aim of this module is to enable students to identify, understand and manage the main biotic (pests and pathogens) and abiotic (nutrient and climate) factors that adversely affect trees and forests.
Managing Forest Operations
From harvesting to establishment and tree safety, the module will take students through the principles of good planning, the financial, legal and regulatory frameworks within which they will have to operate and the tools and skills required to implement and manage forest operations.
People and Forests
Forests and woodlands in both the rural and urban environments have always played a wide and varied role for communities throughout our history, both as a physical resource to be exploited and also providing spaces for our mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Forestry Professional Practice
This module allows you to reflect upon the first two years of your apprenticeship. You will consider your personal growth and developing skillset as a professional forester, your potential and current contribution to professional forestry, and the ethics of being a professional forester.

Year three

Business Skills
This module will develop your skills in business planning. You will develop objectives for a self-selected business; evaluate in a structured way the impacts on a business and plan the resources required. You will learn to apply a range of business tools and how to write and present a business plan.
Forest Plan Development
You will engage in a systematic and integrated approach to objective-led forest management planning in accordance with the principles and criteria of sustainable forest management. You will further develop the skills required for sustainable woodland creation, to meet the requirements of UK policy.
Climate Smart Forestry
This module provides an overview of the causes and impacts of anthropogenic climate change, the adaptation strategies necessary and mitigation options available.
Advanced Silviculture
This module aims to develop further your understanding of silvicultural practices and their role in ensuring the productive and sustainable management of forests across a range of objectives in both temperate and tropical regions.
End Point Assessment
This is a student-led module that follows successful completion of the Gateway of the professional forester degree apprenticeship.  Students receive one-to-one support and guidance towards completing their end-point assessment.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

Your degree studies will begin with an induction via recorded presentations that will help you to prepare for your first week’s residential book focused on the introduction to professional forestry module. You will then attend an additional five one-week blocks of face-to-face teaching each year, with each block of teaching covering a specific module. The time between the blocks will be used to complete assignments, as well as to apply the skills and knowledge you have gained to your real-world forestry work in employment.

A variety of teaching and learning methods and strategies are used to ensure ongoing development and transfer of knowledge and understanding. You will be given opportunities to experience flexible and creative approaches to teaching and learning, to help foster independent learning. Over the course of your studies, you will experience a variety of teaching methodologies which will include lectures, seminars, practical works, applied fieldwork and remote learning via our virtual learning environment. You will be taught by knowledgeable lecturers, most of whom have gained significant professional forestry experience before their careers in education. Others have strong academic and research skills, and this blend is unique to forestry departments in Britain.

Our campus's location in Ambleside allows us to access a large area of Lake District woodland, managed for many different objectives. Some teaching will also take place at the University of Cumbria's Carlisle campus, and several modules will be delivered at the Forestry Commission Training Centre at Cannock Chase. The location of the teaching weeks has been chosen to best meet the requirements of each module.

While most assessment is individual, there will be opportunities for group working, particularly in outdoor practical sessions where data is collected. This will help you develop collaborative and organisational skills ready for the workplace.

At your apprenticeship workplace, work-integrated learning will take place with active support by the University who set and mark assignments that are designed to draw together your professional and academic learning. Your tutors will liaise with you and your employer to ensure your opportunities for professional and academic development are the best they can be.

There will also be the requirement for ‘off the job training’, which is defined as learning that takes place outside your normal day-to-day working environment, but in your normal work hours, and leads specifically towards the achievement of an apprenticeship. This may include training delivered in the usual place of work that is not delivered as part of your normal working duties. ‘Off the job training’ must be directly related to the relevant Apprenticeship Standards for the profession. Examples of ‘off the job’ training could include, but may not be restricted to:

teaching of theory (lectures, role play, simulation exercises, online learning, manufacturer training
practical training (shadowing, mentoring, industry visits)
learning support and time spent writing assessments/assignments.

The minimum amount of off the job learning for any apprenticeship is 20% but the actual amount required by you to complete the apprenticeship is set out in the commitment statement.

How you will be assessed

Our assessment strategy means that your tutors will:

provide innovative, challenging and stimulating assessment which will enable you to develop the knowledge and professional skills required for employment,
be student-centred, flexible and modern in both content and approach,
be fully supported by and integrated with technological approaches such as the Blackboard virtual learning environment (VLE),
impart academic rigour to the teaching and learning processes,
support the development of independence, autonomy and self-reflection,
support learners’ needs at different stages of development.

As a consequence, we employ a wide range of different assessment methods appropriate to the needs of the module and its content. The range of assessment we employ includes:

fieldwork reports,
computer-based assessments,
problem-solving exercises (both of a practical and written format),
devising plans, based on the collection and analysis of information,
oral, audio-visual and poster presentations,
group work,
unseen examinations,
open book examinations.

Throughout the programme, your employer will have an important role to play in supporting assessment, in particular suggesting topics and providing feedback on formative assessment. It is a requirement for the apprenticeship programme that apprentices maintain a portfolio of completed assessed academic work and workplace activities to provide evidence of your achievements and capabilities.

Overview

Government funding rules require that an apprentice must have the right to live and work in the UK, must be in employment, paid at least the legal minimum wage and have a written and signed agreement for the apprenticeship with their employer. The minimum duration periods for an apprenticeship set in each Apprenticeship Standard is based on an apprentice working a minimum of 30 hours per week. Where the apprentice works fewer than 30 hours, the minimum duration of the apprenticeship must be increased on a pro-rata basis. Selection of apprentices (in England) is principally an employer-led activity.

Funding for the apprenticeship is provided through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and is paid in the following way:

Levy paying employers with sufficient funds in their digital account – 100% funding.
Non-levy payers – 95% ESFA funding, 5% Employer co-funding. Non-levy paying companies will be asked to pay their 5% of the full cost of the apprenticeship at the start of the programme.
Non-levy-paying organisations must register on the government's Digital Apprenticeship Service and reserve funds for their apprenticeship prior to the programme starting, unless they are being funded by levy-transfer.

All apprentices must be interviewed, assessed and offered a position by an employer before being admitted to the apprenticeship programme. Although the University may receive direct enquires and filter these before passing to prospective employers, apprentices must apply directly via an employer. After acceptance by an employer, the University of Cumbria will require a formal application, which it will assess according to the programme entry criteria.

Selection Criteria

Individual employers will set the selection criteria for their Apprenticeships. Most candidates will have A levels (or equivalent) or existing relevant Level 3 qualifications equivalent to a minimum of 96 UCAS points. Other relevant qualifications or prior experience may also be considered as an alternative. Applicants must have Maths and English at grade 4 or equivalent at Level 2.

Contextual Admissions

Not applicable to apprenticeships.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

2025 - 2026

None - UK

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

Funding

Degree apprenticeships are only offered to students undertaking the course as part of their employment. The apprenticeship training is therefore funded by the employer using their apprenticeship levy, with or without a contribution, depending on the size and status of the organisation.

Apprentices will not be required to pay any fees and will not be eligible for Student Finance England maintenance support as they are in receipt of a salary. See further information on our Information for Aspiring Apprentices page.

The University will typically charge the maximum fee for the standard, before applying reductions based on accepted prior learning, which is determined on an individual basis at the application stage. To discuss sponsoring a learner on a programme please contact apprenticeships@cumbria.ac.uk.

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

You’ll be spending a lot of time out in the field, so it’s important to consider weatherproof items such as coats and trousers and sturdy walking boots. You’ll need a rucksack, ideally with a waterproof cover and plenty of warm, outdoor clothing.

You might want to bring a thermal flask and a lunchbox for when you are out in the field.

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Location
Ambleside Campus
Nestled in the Lake District National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Ambleside campus is the perfect place for world-savers, animal lovers, and adventurers. There is never a dull moment when surrounded by such natural beauty and opportunity.
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BSc (Hons) - Professional Forester Degree Apprenticeship