February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 45

Higher education's role as a
preparatory network to the production
of new and emerging park and
recreation professionals is changing
nationwide, and with it comes an
emerging array of new possibilities.
and recreation workforce and its
competencies is not solely the responsibility
of higher education,
nor is it limited only to various
academic challenges. A properly
prepared and available workforce
is also highly influenced by current
and trending social and workplace
attitudes, perceptions and choices.
As a majority of park and recreation
agencies can attest in a
post-pandemic emergence, there is
a widespread lack of willing workers
for the available jobs in the public
sector, especially at largely noncompetitive
wages.
The U.S. labor market is as tight
as ever in the modern era, according
to Kevin Roth, NRPA's vice
president of research, evaluation
and technology. " Park and recreation
leaders find themselves competing
with better-funded employers
that can offer higher wages and
benefits. Agencies that faced sharp
budget cuts during the pandemic
and resulting recession are simply
unable to keep up with rising labor
costs. As a result, parks and recreation
must entice workers with
nonfinancial
benefits
that come
with their jobs, including the ability
to serve their community " (tinyurl.
com/4ck3692c).
In Philadelphia last year, the city
raised the hourly rate for lifeguards
to $16, yet it still could not open 12
of its 65 pools due to the lack of
staffing amid the national shortage
of lifeguards.
According to the U.S. Occupational
Outlook Handbook, recreation
workers' median pay in 2021 was
$14.27 per hour, yet the number of
jobs for them is expected to rise 10
percent in the next 10 years - faster
than the average for all occupations.
The closure of pools and reduced
hours and services at recreation
centers also have left children
in some neighborhoods without
a safe, walkable place to go amid
a surge in gun violence. Tiffany
Fletcher, a Philadelphia Parks and
Recreation employee, was shot and
killed in September 2022 while on
the job at the Mill Creek Recreation
Center playground when she
was caught in gun crossfire.
These real and perceived gaps in
such workplace issues as competitive
wages, safety, access, health,
diversity and equity; and in workforce
capabilities of trust, training,
mentoring,
leadership and management,
also have contributed in
no small part to the lack of willing,
competent workers.
Further, in too many agencies,
ongoing training is neither expected
nor required, nor is it an organizational
priority. Many professionals
lack the necessary time, funding
or personal motivation to hone or
gain new skills.
Opportunities
Even without fully documenting
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | FEBR U AR Y 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
45

February 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2023 - Parks & Recreation

February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 1
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 2
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 3
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 4
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 5
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 6
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 7
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 8
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 9
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 11
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 12
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 13
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 14
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 15
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 17
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 18
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 19
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 20
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 21
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 22
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 23
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 25
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 26
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 27
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 28
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 29
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 30
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 31
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 32
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 33
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 34
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 35
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 36
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 37
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 38
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 39
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 40
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 41
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 42
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 43
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 44
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 45
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 46
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 48
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 50
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 51
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 52
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 53
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 54
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 55
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 56
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com