A new pilot programme to strengthen skills across Wales’ marine and land-based sectors has been launched, helping to deliver biodiversity objectives and tackle the nature emergency.
THE PROGRAMME
Administered by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), the Marine and Land-Based Skills Training Programme will enable participation in short courses, training opportunities and skills development initiatives.
The programme aims to address specialist skill gaps including species identification and mapping, technical skills such as the Geographic Information System ( and practical skills such as At the same time, it’s also hoped that the project will also encourage training providers to put on courses in these relatively specialist skills, and for that provision to become ongoing and sustainable.
The scheme is a pilot and will run for 12 months from April 2026. It’s open to those employed in nature recovery in a variety of organisations in Wales such as local authorities, town and community councils, the voluntary sector, environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) and National Parks.
STRENGTHENING SKILLS
Chris Lazo, Head of Local Nature Partnerships at WCVA, welcomed the launch of the pilot:
‘This pilot is an important step in strengthening the skills and capacity needed to support nature recovery across Wales. Additional investment in both marine and land-based training, will help those employed in the sector to further develop practical skills required to deliver meaningful action for biodiversity and climate resilience.’
The pilot will also include an evaluation to identify future skills needs and inform longer-term approaches to workforce development in Wales. It is not expected that all training needs will be met, as the pilot is also being used to gauge demand.
APPLY NOW
The first tranche of courses will focus on seasonal dependant training, especially species identification and mapping, a priority to help deliver the 30 by 30 targets. The application window opened on April 1 2026, and applications can be made via https://map.wcva.cymru/