Certificate in Biological Recording

On Wednesday I attended an induction day for the University Certificate in Biological Recording and Species Identification, which is run by Manchester Metropolitan University but operates out of Shrewsbury.  This is the only academic course in the UK that teaches people how to identify and record species in the field.

The course is run over six long weekends, normally spread over a two year period. There is one compulsory module on Biological Recording - which I will be taking in May this year - and then a choice from a wide range of subjects from mosses to dragonflies to spiders and bats.

Although it's a small department, the staff and other (potential) students were all very friendly. There were presentations from the course director, tutors and the Field Studies Council, whose centres are used for the courses. It helped to give a good feel for what is involved in the course and what we can expect, both in terms of time commitment and assignments, and the opportunities it will open up.

There is also a small but well stocked library, which will thankfully also post out books or journal articles if we are unable to visit Shrewsbury (which is a 3 hour drive for me!).  They also participate in SCONUL, which is a reciprocal arrangement with other colleges and universities around the UK, so hopefully I will be able to borrow, or at least access, books from the University of Leeds library which would be much more convenient for me.

I am of course hoping that having a recognised qualification will improve my employability, and that doing the courses for academic credit rather than pleasure will give me more impetus to increase my survey experience.  And if I enjoy it, I could progress on to the MSc ...