February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47

program, focuses on core business
skills, like accounting, finance and
marketing.
Stackable certificates are becoming
increasingly popular among
students and working professionals
- particularly those who want
to
without
the
ment and high costs of earning an
additional degree.
Independent,
acquire specific career skills
long-term commituniversity-aligned
training
programs - like Colorado
University's Parks and Recreation
Emerging Professionals Program
and Indiana University's Executive
Development Program for Park and
Recreation Professionals - and outdoor
industry capacity-developing
consortiums, such as Oregon State
University's Center for Outdoor Recreation
Economy, are building engaging
entrepreneurial niches.
Community
colleges
also
are
stepping up. Those that establish
and maintain relationships with local
employers not only are better informed
to respond to actual needs,
but also build a strong incentive
for those employers to work with
them, like Lorraine County (Ohio)
Community
College's Business
Growth Services. They can work
together through apprenticeships,
leadership training, noncredit and
continuing
education courses.
Northwest Arkansas Community
College offers an accredited certification
in bicycle assembly and
repair. McHenry County (Illinois)
College offers
open-enrollment
training on workplace skills, technology,
occupational
safety
and wellness.
Other Routes to Park and
Recreation Careers
Of course, many jobs in the park
and recreation sector don't require
higher education degrees,
languages,
but nonetheless, contribute to the
health and welfare of their communities,
and the local park and recreation
agency need not develop that
workforce all on its own.
NRPA's Workforce Development
and Career Exploration in Parks and
Recreation report
(nrpa.org/Work
forceDevelopmentReport) notes
that 88 percent of agencies partner
with other organizations to implement
workforce development programs
to recruit, train and connect
people to jobs. One prime partner
to local agencies is often the state
professional park and recreation
association - many offer training
in professional competency
skills via in-person and online/
on-demand curricula; microlearning
modules; and job shadowing,
mentoring and certificate programs
specific to the industry.
In New York City, the Parks Opportunity
Program (POP) hires people
referred by the Human Resources
Administration/Department of
Social Services to clean and green
its parks, playgrounds and other
facilities citywide. POP workers
receive career coaching and specialized
on-the-job training during their
six months of employment, which
not only benefit the parks, but also
their future employability.
Nationally, The Corps Network
engages young adults and veterans
in community and conservation jobs
to gain work experience and develop
skills. Youth Build, with 273 programs
in the United States and an
annual capacity of 10,000 students,
focuses on young people who lack
jobs, finances and a high school diploma
to build skillsets and mindsets.
Government programs, like
Pennsylvania's Outdoor Corps, offer
job training and environmental
educational opportunities to young
people paid to complete recreation
and conservation projects on the
state's public lands. Others, like
Arizona's Youth Employment Center,
offer more general work-based
learning, which can be applied in a
broad range of parks, conservation
and leisure services settings.
And as 35 percent of the total U.S.
workforce is now choosing to work
freelance, the gig economy has begun
to encompass all types of roles
And as 35 percent of the
total U.S. workforce is now
choosing to work freelance,
the gig economy has begun to
encompass all types of roles
- just as savvy agencies are
adapting existing jobs to be
performed in different ways.
- just as savvy agencies are adapting
existing jobs to be performed in
different ways. Moreover, enlisting
such a major talent pool of seasonal,
consultant and gig workers is no
longer limited to print or online ads.
Customizable apps and digital platforms,
like MuniTask (munitask.
com), can connect employers with
local gig workers.
As nature demonstrates, changes
to our environment always
demand a successful adaptive response
from those who continue
to thrive. And the indispensable
park and recreation profession,
populated by some of the most
creative and mission-driven people,
is up for the challenge.
To hear Tim Herd speak more about
workforce development, tune in to the
February bonus episode of Open Space
Radio at nrpa.org/February2023
BonusEpisode.
Tim Herd, CPRE, is the CEO of the Pennsylvania Recreation
and Park Society (herd@prps.org).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | FEBR U AR Y 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
47
http://www.nrpa.org/WorkforceDevelopmentReport http://www.nrpa.org/WorkforceDevelopmentReport http://www.nrpa.org/February2023BonusEpisode http://www.nrpa.org/February2023BonusEpisode
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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