WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Strong environmental leaders are a critical part of building climate-resilient habitat. Our workforce development programs are an investment in the future of our ecosystems and communities. 

As climate change pressures increase, the environmental workforce must constantly grow and adapt to meet the needs of communities. High-quality training is essential for young people entering the workforce and for folks career-shifting into the environmental field. Now more than ever, we need people in our field who are energetic, adaptable, and ready for the challenges ahead. We’re honored to be part of this career development for our interns and AmeriCorps members.

 

AmeriCorps members and Habitat Restoration Interns build leadership and public speaking skills by leading community events.

Workforce development participants attend trainings and conferences to learn about the conservation sector and network with other environmental professionals.

AmeriCorps members and interns learn about environmental career paths from program alumni through monthly career chats.

 

As part of a restoration team, Habitat Restoration Interns and AmeriCorps members steward 2-4 parks and preserves. Each participant receives close mentorship from a staff supervisor.

Interns and AmeriCorps members learn skills like water quality monitoring that they can leverage when applying to jobs in the conservation field.

All program participants have the opportunity to help out at Grassroots Ecology’s Native Plant Nursery, where they learn about seed collection, plant propagation, and best practices for producing healthy container plants.

 

Each year, Grassroots Ecology hosts Habitat Restoration Interns, AmeriCorps Members, and Summer Naturalist Interns—all of whom bring unique skills, knowledge, and perspectives that benefit our organization. In addition to learning in the field while doing hands-on restoration and leading community events, our Habitat Restoration Interns and AmeriCorps members participate in monthly trainings that help them build competency in restoration techniques, community engagement, safety, and career skills. Training topics include tool maintenance, tick safety, youth engagement, pollinator monitoring, and more.

After serving at Grassroots Ecology, our AmeriCorps members and interns have gone on to:

  • Survey fish habitat and track invasive weed growth with government agencies
  • Monitor impact of construction projects with environmental consulting firms
  • Conduct research on insect-plant interactions and learn about landscape architecture in graduate programs
  • Lead community-based habitat restoration projects at non-profit organizations

…and much more!

Learn more about our workforce development programs:

 
 
 
 

Visit our Staff Page to meet our current cohort of workforce development participants.