JBA Ecologists have recently been tasked with updating the Office of Public Works (OPW) staff training, on ecological and environmental related issues. This training has occurred on three different levels at various locations around the country.  Attendees have included a whole range of OPW skillsets; management, administrative, engineers and maintenance operatives in the field, and to date nearly 300 staff had been through the courses on 30 different days.  The training material has been tailored to the client's specific needs and all of JBA's environmental scientists and ecologists have taken part in providing this training, ensuring that the OPW are gaining knowledge from a range of experienced staff.  Training has been provided on subjects including Environmental Impact Assessment, climate change, legislation and biodiversity, however, topics that have raised the most interest amongst participants include the process for environmental assessment of projects, identification of invasive species, practical application of mitigation measures, potential impacts from every day work and identification of ecologically sensitive habitats and species.

Trainers utilise a variety of tools during the training courses to ensure a high level of participation. This includes the provision of various preserved specimens for examination (e.g. bats, otter spraint and invasive species), videos demonstrating real life examples (e.g. Daubentons bats emerging from roost and feeding), demonstration of the usage of relevant identification books, websites and apps where applicable, and a half day practical identification and assessment session in the field. As a result of this variety, participant enthusiasm during the training course has been high and a variety of related and often controversial topics have been discussed over lunch, including climate change, biosecurity protocols, the badger cull, wild food foraging and the valuation of ecosystem services.