Sixteen young people from all over Coventry and Warwickshire, who are on the NEETs (Not in Employment Education or Training) register, were given the opportunity to learn how survive in the wild at woodland sites in Coventry and Leicestershire. Here they were taught to overcome the basic life problems our ancestors faced in day to day living. This meant they had to source and provide food, find water, make fire, and build shelters from natural materials.

The nine day workshop helped the 16 to 19 year olds to identify the transferrable skills they had gained during the programme and how they could turn these into employable skills for prospective employers to increase their chances of securing jobs.

The combination of learning ancient and modern skills works very well together to give young people a rich experience, says Bushcraft expert Alex Hampson from Wild Earth who developed the programme and has been working on similar projects for many years.

He said “Often young people find it really difficult to find jobs. Working in a different environment changes the way they think about things, and gives them an alternative perspective. The effect this has on their confidence can be quite amazing.”

The course was run jointly Warwickshire-based Education 4 Conservation (E4C) and Wild Earth, in partnership with Leamington, Nuneaton and Bedworth Connexions. Funding for the course was provided from CSWP (Coventry Solihull & Warwickshire Partnership, and the YOF (Youth Opportunity Fund).

Denise Taylor of E4C said: “The bushcraft courses are designed to give young people the edge when hunting for jobs in a tough market, which has seen this age group being the hardest hit in the recession with unemployment figures at an all time high for 16 to 25 year olds.”

Throughout the bushcraft programme there was a focus on creativity and learning about the environment through music, art and narrative which is documented using multi-media.

E4C Director, Denise Taylor, said: “All employers are looking for a range of skills and personality traits such as good communication, problem-solving, and the ability to work as part of a team.

“The Bushcraft course is all about self-development and gaining confidence in their own abilities. Whether they are trying to light a fire in the snow or meeting new people for the first time the course nurtures what young people already have inside themselves. The course enables them to tap into this and look at the world from a different perspective, which will benefit them for the rest of their lives in all sorts of situations.

The course has also given some of the young people the opportunity to mentor their peers, increasing their employability as they start to learn and demonstrate their leadership qualities. Brian Coffey, one of the mentors on the final course, had previously attended three other bushcraft It’s made me realise that I really like working with young people, and I’m going to look for a job that will allow me to continue with this work.”