Key information

  1. Status: Approved for delivery (available for starts)
  2. Reference: ST0923
  3. Version: 1.2
  4. Level: 6
  5. Typical duration to gateway: 36 months
  6. Typical EPA period: 6 months
  7. Maximum funding: £22000
  8. Route: Agriculture, environmental and animal care
  9. Integration: None
  10. Date updated: 14/03/2025
  11. Approved for delivery: 3 August 2021
  12. Lars code: 647
  13. EQA provider: Office for Students
  14. Review: this apprenticeship will be reviewed in accordance with our change request policy.

Contents

Contents

Apprenticeship summary

Overview of the role

Provide expert advice on the woodlands and forests.

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in governmental, non-governmental, private, public, charitable and local authority organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have an interest in forestry and woodland creation and management. Landowning organisations, e.g. Local Authorities or private estates, may employ their own Professional Foresters, whereas private landowners, e.g. farmers, may bring one in as a consultant.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide expert technical advice on the planning, creation, management, harvesting and utilisation of woodlands and forests (known as silviculture). Professional Foresters form the link between landowners, contractors and timber-buyers, providing technical expertise to inform and manage delivery of sustainable multi-purpose forest management outcomes in relation to the UK Government’s Forestry Act. Expertise in forest and woodland carbon accounting and land use change are becoming increasingly important for Professional Foresters who will be responsible for writing Woodland Management Plans (WMPs), Forest Design Plans (FDPs) and Woodland Creation Design Plans (WCDPs), using expert knowledge of legislation, regulation and silvicultural good practice, and will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of those plans.

Professional Foresters will be integral to the achievement of Government targets for delivery of public goods under the 25-Year Plan for the Environment, and Net Zero 2050 targets for carbon reduction. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with landowners and agents, statutory bodies, local authorities, local & national interest groups, ecologists, engineers and other professional experts, timber buyers, contractors, suppliers, colleagues, volunteers and the public. In many cases Professional Foresters will be required to understand how forestry fits into the wider land-management planning of a given client or organisation and will liaise with other stakeholders to manage conflicting pressures and achieve complementary outcomes. The uniquely long-term nature of forest planning cycles means that many Professional Foresters will have long-term professional relationships with their clients, sometimes spanning decades. In some cases, especially hardwood silviculture, management decisions made by a Professional Forester now may not even come to fruition in their or their clients’ lifetime.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for:

  • Autonomous decision making relating to land use change pertaining to woodland operations
  • Appropriate decision making within organisational structures (e.g. Woodland Officer reporting to Field Manager)
  • Budget management, including applying for and/or administering grant funding
  • Awarding and managing contracts to contractors
  • Procurement and sales
  • Gathering, analysing, interpreting, implementing and communicating information
  • Regulatory compliance.

Typical job titles include:

Beat forester Green leaf Community forester Green leaf District forester Green leaf Forest and woodland advisor Green leaf Forest manager Green leaf Forest officer Green leaf Forester Green leaf Forestry consultant Green leaf Head forester Green leaf Planning forester Green leaf Social forester Green leaf Woodland creation officer Green leaf Woodland officer Green leaf

End-point assessment summary

ST0923, Professional forester (integrated degree) level 6

This is a summary of the key things that you – the apprentice and your employer need to know about your end-point assessment (EPA). You and your employer should read the EPA plan for the full details. It has information on assessment method requirements, roles and responsibilities, and re-sits and re-takes.

What is an end-point assessment and why it happens

An EPA is an assessment at the end of your apprenticeship. It will assess you against the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) in the occupational standard. Your training will cover the KSBs. The EPA is your opportunity to show an independent assessor how well you can carry out the occupation you have been trained for.

Your employer will choose an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) to deliver the EPA. Your employer and training provider should tell you what to expect and how to prepare for your EPA.

The length of the training for this apprenticeship is typically 36 months. The EPA period is typically 6 months.

The overall grades available for this apprenticeship are:

  • fail
  • pass
  • distinction

When you pass the EPA, you will be awarded your apprenticeship certificate.


EPA gateway

The EPA gateway is when the EPAO checks and confirms that you have met any requirements required before you start the EPA. You will only enter the gateway when your employer says you are ready.

The gateway requirements for your EPA are:

  • achieved English and mathematics qualifications in line with the apprenticeship funding rules
  • for the project report and presentation with questioning, the project's title and scope must be agreed with the EPAO and a project summary submitted

  • for the professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence, you must submit a portfolio of evidence

  • passed any other qualifications listed in the occupational standard

For the professional forester (integrated degree), the qualification required is:

BSc (Hons) Forest Management

Assessment methods

Project with report

You will complete a project and write a report. You will be asked to complete a project. The title and scope must be agreed with the EPAO at the gateway. The report should be a maximum of 6000 words (with a 10% tolerance).

You will have 12 weeks to complete the project and submit the report to the EPAO.

You need to prepare and give a presentation to an independent assessor. Your presentation slides and any supporting materials should be submitted at the same time as the project output. The presentation with questions will last at least 60 minutes. The independent assessor will ask at least 5 questions about the project and presentation.


Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence

You will have a professional discussion with an independent assessor. It will last 60 minutes. They will ask you at least 12 questions. The questions will be about certain aspects of your occupation. You need to compile a portfolio of evidence before the EPA gateway. You can use it to help answer the questions.


Who to contact for help or more information

You should speak to your employer if you have a query that relates to your job.

You should speak to your training provider if you have any questions about your training or EPA before it starts.

You should receive detailed information and support from the EPAO before the EPA starts. You should speak to them if you have any questions about your EPA once it has started.Reasonable adjustments

If you have a disability, a physical or mental health condition or other special considerations, you may be able to have a reasonable adjustment that takes this into account. You should speak to your employer, training provider and EPAO and ask them what support you can get. The EPAO will decide if an adjustment is appropriate.


Professional recognition

This apprenticeship aligns with Institute of Chartered Foresters for Professional Membership (MICFor)

Please contact the professional body for more details.

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Employers involved in creating the standard: Say it with wood Heart of England Forest Cartwright Forestry National Trust Cumbria Woodlands Forestry Commission National Forest Company The Environment Partnership Confor Institute of Chartered Foresters Forest Industry Safety Accord Skills & Education Group Royal Forestry Society Tir Coed Forestry England Lockhart Garratt Duchy of Cornwall Total Trees Pryor & Rickett Sylva LGLuk Pryor& Rickett Silviculture

Version log

Version Change detail Earliest start date Latest start date
1.2 End-point assessment plan revised. Distinction criteria removed from stakeholder engagement and relationship management theme. Clarified that the project should provide a business benefit and research, information and data created or obtained pre gateway can inform the project report. 14/03/2025 Not set
1.1 Standard, end-point assessment plan and funding revised. 24/08/2022 13/03/2025
1.0 Approved for delivery 03/08/2021 23/08/2022

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