Are you interested in hosting a placement on our 2027 Young Professional Foresters’ Exchange Programme?
We are looking for two organisations who would be willing to host a young professional forester from either Australia, Canada or New Zealand for three months in Summer 2027.
This is an opportunity for you to create career-enhancing development experiences not only for the successful candidates, but also for you and your business. Through international knowledge exchange, you could learn from the global practices of the participating countries, whilst also demonstrating the depth of expertise, innovation, and leadership in the UK within the global forestry sector.
This important exchange programme can only go ahead with your support, and we need commitment by the end of June 2026 to make the necessary plans.
Tom Coates MICFor, Area Supply Manager from James Jones & Sons Ltd, this year’s host employer, said:
“James Jones & Sons were keen to participate and support the Young Professional Foresters’ Exchange Programme as a way of investing in people and professional development. Encouraging early career professionals to gain international perspectives on forestry not only benefits our business through knowledge exchange but benefits the wider forestry sector. We hope it is a rewarding experience for our team, fostering one of our key company values in collaboration and shared learning. We believe initiatives like this play a key role in developing the next generation of forestry professionals.”
Programme details
- Three-month paid placement for a young professional from either Canada, New Zealand or Australia
- To take place between June and August 2027 (this can be flexible and arranged by the candidate and the employer)
- Application process October 2026 – January 2027, with successful candidates to be announced by the end of January 2027
If you are interested in hosting a placement in 2027, please contact Dr Rob Hawkins at rob.hawkins@charteredforesters.org for more information.
Requirements
- Employer is responsible for making the necessary arrangements with their HR and compliance departments to be able to provide a three-month placement to a non-UK national and put necessary contract in place
- Candidate needs to be paid salary commensurate with role and have appropriate annual leave entitlement
- Location needs to be somewhere with short-term rental accommodation available nearby and assistance with contacts to be provided
Support from ICF
- ICF will manage competitive application process and selection with other participating Institutes or equivalents in exchange countries
- ICF will facilitate introductory meetings between successful applicants and host employers
- ICF cannot provide advice on placement contract requirements, visa requirements or other employment issues
- ICF will provide opportunity for placement candidate to attend an ICF event during placement if budget allows
