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Careers in Natural Resources Initiative: Engaging the Next Generation
Lisa Eadens Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education
April 15, 2014
Background: The Issue
▪ Environmental and Recreation based programs for youth struggle guiding alumni into Natural Resource Careers.
▪ Land management agencies need better qualified candidates and those from non-traditional backgrounds.
▪ Colleges and universities have difficulty attracting students from non-traditional populations to their natural resource degree programs.
▪ High retirement rates are currently occurring and are predicted into the future for government agencies.
⁻ Approximately 33,000 retired from NPS in 2011. Typically, 11,000 employees retire annually. Source: NPS employee, 2012
▪ In the last 20 years time spent playing outside has been cut in half. Source: H. White, No Child Left Inside, Reversing NDD,
NWF, 2008.
▪ Youth and young adult unemployment is 16% - greater than twice that of adults and even higher for minority youth.
Background: Opportunities and Barriers
Vision:
To work collaboratively to create more pathways to enable ALL young adults to be educated, prepared, and qualified to enter and maintain professional, sustainable natural resource careers.
Careers in Natural Resources Initiative
What is a Career Pathway?
Education, training, and support services to help people get careers. The focus is to make things easier by helping students and potential students build or make changes to their careers.
Why is a Natural Resource Career Pathway Important?
Fewer young people are growing up learning to hunt, fish,
hike, and camp.
Concern over who will protect, maintain and enhance those lands in the future – as voters, donors, public land users, volunteers, or natural resource agency employees.
Why is a Natural Resource Career Pathway Important?
Natural Resource Careers
Initiative
Agencies
Non-profits
Education
Parents And
More….
Reduce Barriers
Increase Access Increase Awareness
Natural Resource Careers Initiative: 244 Individuals and 91 Organizations
Collective Impact
• Common Agenda
• Shared Measurement
• Mutually Reinforcing Activities
• Continuous Communication
Audience: Young people
Audience: Career Influencers
Audience: Agency Staff
>Awareness >Knowledge >Experience & Education >Job info >Entry-level job!
>Awareness >Investment >Training >Resources >Actively Coach Candidates!
>Awareness >Investment >Training >Reduce Barriers >Culture & Systems
Careers in Natural Resources Initiative Spectrum
Goals and Supporting Actions
1. Raise awareness: Career Fair
2. Reduce barriers: Career Path Manual
3. Increase access to information: Online Portal
Audience: Career Influencers
Audience: Agency Staff
>Awareness >Knowledge >Experience & Education >Job info >Entry-level job!
>Awareness >Investment >Training >Resources >Actively Coach Candidates!
>Awareness >Investment >Training >Reduce Barriers >Culture & Systems
Online
Portal
Career
Fair Career
Guide
Online
Portal
Career
Guide
Careers in Natural Resources Initiative Spectrum
First Summit: - Gathered
information from partners
- Defined initiative vision
Organized natural resources career fair at West Generation High School
- Received Walton Family Foundation Grant
- $ from USFS, DNR
April 2012
May 2013
June 2013
August 2013
Third Summit
February 2014
Fourth Summit
March 2014
- Online Portal Launched
- Draft Career Guide
Initiative Milestones
Middle and High School
Goals:
Awareness about careers in natural resources: variety, salary, diversity of employees
What courses will help start them on the right path
Volunteer, job-shadowing, internship opportunities
Careers in Natural Resources Initiative Resources:
Participation in existing career fairs
Handout
“Natural Resource Careers Exploration Week”
Participation in existing career fairs
Middle and High School
Middle and High School
Career Fair Handout
Natural Resource Careers Exploration Week
June 9 – 13, 2014
Natural resources organizations, agencies and higher education institutions
Listen to staff talk about their own career pathway
Hands-on activities that relate to different careers
Resume-writing
Middle and High School
Higher Education/Young Adult
Goals:
Reduce barriers to getting a job
Increase access to information
Increase resources available
Careers in Natural Resources Initiative Resources:
“A How-To Guide for Pursuing a Career in Natural Resources”
Natural Resource Careers Online Web Portal
“A How-To Guide for Pursuing a Career in Natural Resources”
Introduction
Full scope of careers in Natural Resources
Discussion on federal, state, and local hiring processes
Final document will include visuals and case studies
Higher Education/Young Adult
Natural resource careers online web portal
Searchable springboard for natural resource, recreation, and outdoor stewardship job opportunities, career planning resources, and higher education opportunities in Colorado.
Added to the existing Get Outdoors Colorado website
Higher Education/Young Adult
Launched!
www.GetOutdoorsColorado.org/Job-Center
Higher Education/Young Adult
Natural resource careers online web portal
Higher Education/Young Adult
Natural resource careers online web portal
Professionals/Career Influencers
Goals:
Awareness and use of resources (online portal, guide)
Incorporating career messaging into spark experiences
Considerations when hiring and employing youth
Supporting a culture of inclusiveness
Careers in Natural Resources Initiative Resources:
Website (resource for employers)
Guide
What’s Next?
Developing common metrics and messages
How are others measuring success?
How can we create a standard set of metrics to measure collective impact?
Data Gathering
What You Can Do
▪Advocate for job shadowing, service-learning, volunteering, internships, and other opportunities for youth at your organization
▪Tell us how you are promoting careers in natural resources
▪ Join the Careers in Natural Resources Initiative
▪Raise awareness: become a mentor, speak on a career panel, attend a career fair
▪Reduce barriers: help review our Guide, distribute the Guide to your networks
▪ Increase access to information: post your job openings on the new Get Outdoors Colorado Job Center Website, help promote the new site to partners and youth
▪What hiring trends do you see? More/less jobs and types of positions?
▪What skills and experience do entry level staff need to be successful?
▪What training and skills do agency staff need to recruit, train, and coach young people to succeed in entry-level positions?
Discussion
