Opportunities in and near Stourbridge

Clear ponds, coppice, pollard trees and cut scrub as part of a hands-on team caring for a wetland reserve. In summer, switch to wildlife surveys and footpath maintenance; training in basic hand-tool use is provided.

Welcome customers, receive donations, sort stock and build eye-catching displays in a charity shop. Get full training and ongoing support, with chances to train on the till or take on a Key Volunteer role, opening, running and closing the shop.

Apply for practical work experience in a local authority, with separate routes for school or sixth-form students and young people who are NEET, in college, training or at university. Send the completed form by email or to the council’s offices in Oldbury; placements aren’t guaranteed.

Walk The Devil’s Spittleful, chat with visitors and share information about local wildlife while encouraging responsible visits. You’ll also record visitor numbers, help keep site messages clear and may occasionally pick up litter.

Take on scrub control, hedge management, plant conservation, weed removal and fencing across northern Worcestershire nature reserves. Learn reserve management outdoors, with basic tool-use training provided; sessions run 10am-3pm on the second Wednesday each month.

Help manage one of Worcestershire’s largest remaining areas of semi-natural grassland through scrub clearing and hands-on conservation. Join a county-wide team caring for wildlife habitats, with training provided where needed; you’ll help keep the meadows in good condition for wildflowers and other species.

Clear scrub, coppice, pollard and help repair fencing on a heathland nature reserve near Bewdley. Work outdoors in all weathers, with training provided where needed; sessions run one morning a month, from 10am to 3pm.

Shadow consultants, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals during a one-to-five-day observational placement. Explore departments from Radiology and Biomedical Science to Dietetics, Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering.

Attend subject and skills sessions, hear talks on courses and career prospects, tour campus and accommodation, and speak with academics and current students.

Take part in degree-level taster sessions with hands-on workshops, practical activities and tours of specialist facilities. Explore subjects from engineering and computing to law and sport, and hear from academic staff and current students.

Current students lead this support programme for Black sixth-form and college students, sharing honest insights into university life. Join online and in-person events, get tailored mentorship and ask what studying and living at York is really like.

Shadow council teams for up to three days, join a short placement lasting four to ten days, or meet an expert one-to-one. Explore fields from digital services and construction to law, transport and environmental work; placements may also be remote.

Explore a different science research topic in each online workshop-style talk, led by Oxford graduates. Ask questions live, then use the recordings to revisit a session or catch up on one you missed; booking is separate for each free talk.

Hear Oxford graduates deliver academically focused maths talks linked to their research and wider interests. Join sessions with time for questions, attend as many as you like, and revisit the recordings later.

Current Medicine students share what studying the subject is really like, from building a healthy work-life balance to getting the most out of your studies. Hear their first-hand perspectives on life at medical school.

Get strategic about medical school applications in a live webinar exploring how to choose the right programme for you and improve your chances of securing an interview.

Medicine students share hints and tips to help you prepare for the UCAT, alongside an overview of the test and how it is used in selection for medical degree programmes.

Explore what a six-year Medicine with a Gateway Year route involves, who can apply and how it could fit your plans. The session also covers the benefits of this pathway.

Hear the Trust’s Director of Land Management, Jamie Marsh, share standout wildlife sightings and conservation work across its nature reserves in an accessible online talk. Explore habitat restoration, how supporters are helping wildlife recover, and the practical steps being taken to protect and restore nature.

A Community Ranger guides you through how terrestrial mammals and bats survive winter, from hibernation and changing diets to shifts in behaviour and seasonal migration. Join the live online session to explore how wildlife tackles cold, scarce food and harsher conditions.