Developing a Highly Trained Ecological Restoration Workforce

 
 
 

THE TIME IS NOW

IN THIS MOMENT OF ECOLOGICAL UNCERTAINTY, WE MUST RESTORE THE ENVIRONMENT AT THE SPEED OF OUR CHANGING CLIMATE.
 
WE NEED A WORKFORCE TO ACCOMPLISH IT.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MEETING THE WORKFORCE NEEDS OF THE GROWING ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION INDUSTRY BY TRAINING WORKERS FOR LIVING-WAGE CAREERS THAT SUPPORT BOTH THE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND THE HEALTH OF OUR ENVIRONMENT.

 
 
 
 

Ecological Workforce IMPACT

  

 
 
 
 

The Workforce

 
 
Hanford restoration field worker chainsawing understory
Hanford excavator clearing dirt
Hanford crew shoveling invasive plants
Excavator removing dirt
Hanford restoration field worker smiling
Hanford restoration field worker clearing tule
Aerial shot of tools on burlap
Hanford crew working in creek
Excavators clearing dirt creating channels in wetlands

The Problem

 

At this moment of ecological collapse, California must undertake restoration and mitigation projects on the scope, at the scale and at the speed of our changing climate.

  • Failure to meet this moment will have profound negative impact on our planet, our communities, and our industry.

  • Restoration and Mitigation industry is growing exponentially and is unable to meet its labor demands.

  • Underinvested and underserved communities are not equitably participating in the economic benefits of the historic public investment in climate resilience and natural infrastructure.

  • To work appropriately in sensitive habitats requires specialized skills and knowledge. Training in this specialty varies dramatically from employer to employer with no set standards across the industry.

 

THE SOLUTION

 

Step by step, we have developed a 10-hour training program that delivers the necessary skills and knowledge and an industry-recognized Ecological Workforce qualifications certificate.

  • Positions the industry as a source of well-paying jobs.

  • Creates equitable pathways to lifetime, living wage careers for all members of our community, without the need for higher-education or high-level English proficiency.

  • Enables cutting Green Tape by increasing trust between Resource Agencies and the Labor Force. Trust will build respect for the workforce and reduce the regulatory burden on restoration projects, lowering their costs, speeding completion, and improving ecological outcomes.

  • Equips large segments of our communities with access to the prevailing-wage jobs being created by the historic investments in climate resilience and natural infrastructure. 

  • Will create an electorate who understands that funding ecological restoration projects is funding equitable job creation.

 
 
 

LEARN MORE

THE ECOLOGICAL WORKFORCE INITIATIVE IS BRINGING TOGETHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY PARTNERS; EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EXPERTS; REGULATORY AGENCIES, POLICYMAKERS AND A WIDE RANGE OF OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.

Please view our white paper and overview paper to learn more about our effort.