The Young Trustees Traineeship is a programme designed to support aspiring young trustees from across the National Trust with the skills, confidence and knowledge to secure and thrive in their first trustee roles.

From September 2024 to February 2025, we supported 15 young staff and volunteers under 30 from all regions and countries of the Trust – and we’re delighted to say we're running the traineeship again in autumn 2025!

The programme covered everything from governance basics and what good governance looks like in practice to financial management, finding your niche as a trustee and how to apply for your first roles.

We collaborated with current and previous young trustees from our movement to build the group’s network and hear from a broad range of people about their experiences. Thanks to everyone who got involved.

1. Learn the core skills needed to thrive in a trustee role
2. Build a peer network and wider system of support
3. Have the skills, knowledge and confidence to apply to your first trustee role

We’ve had really positive feedback!

Participants highlighted the programme’s impact on their personal and professional growth, and it was brilliant to see one third of participants securing their first trustee role within a month of the programme ending. Throughout the programme and in response to our evaluation, this group of aspiring trustees have expressed newfound confidence and a deeper understanding of what being a trustee is all about, noting that they have felt inspired, engaged, and supported throughout the journey, with several noting that it exceeded their expectations.

Here are some quotes from participants we want to share with you:

‘I didn’t expect to be so inspired and excited to look into trusteeships.’

‘There’s been so much to learn from everyone here, but also from people you’ve brought in.  I thought I understood it but there’s been so much more to it that I’ve understood now.’

‘An unexpected takeaway was the opportunity that our internal team gave us to engage with our own senior leadership team, trustees and council.’

‘[Trusteeship is] not as inaccessible and terrifying as I thought it would be. Actually it can be really exciting, empowering and engaging.’

‘It made me happy to see that these are my peers and everyone is really progressive. It feels like there’s a bright future ahead for the charity sector.’

‘What you bring is your lived experience and your uniqueness, and that’s what makes you so important to be in the room to make decisions. That’s a nice way to think about it, that I don’t think I thought about before.’

We’re grateful to the National Trust for collaborating with us on this traineeship and celebrate them for taking a proactive approach to encouraging and supporting their colleagues to take on leadership roles within the sector. We’re excited to be working together again this year, and are sure that this sector-leading approach will have ripple effects for years to come!