BLTC trainees in mine
Bat Training is pioneering a programme of bat licence training designed for those wishing to undertake professional surveys. The Bat Licence Training Course has been prepared to address the difficulty many professional ecologists have obtaining licence training through local bat groups, many of whom are unable or unwilling to offer training to those intending to use their bat licences for commercial purposes.
Places are strictly limited for this specialist training which is based around two compulsory residential field courses and a training diary of bat work experience. The course has been running successfully since 2008, with fantastic feedback.
The course is co-written and taught by Dr Sandie Sowler, MIEEM, and Richard Crompton, CEnv, MIEEM, and is run by Wildwood Ecology Limited.
The training is based on two key elements:
- a training diary or log of experience, and
- two residential field courses – one during the colder months of the year and one during the bats’ active season.
Sign-off for a licence is at the strict discretion of the trainers, both of whom hold training licences for Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales, and follows an assessment and a review of training diaries. Participants of this course have been successfully signed-up for Natural England or Countryside Council for Wales licences.
