SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Capacity, time and funding limitations are the top barriers academic partners across the Sierra and those in workforce development programs find when it comes to workforce development for natural and working lands.

Jenny Hatch, executive director for the Sierra Nevada Alliance, revealed these findings when presenting survey data at the alliance’s conservation conference spanning Nov. 7-8 at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Thursday night’s session provided opportunity to workshop solutions to these barriers and others.

---

---

The data came from surveying academic partners ahead of the meeting, asking what their top two friction points are.

According to the survey with 17 responses, the friction points from most voted to least are as follows:

---

---

• Limited capacity and time (64.7%)
• Limited or short-term funding (58.8%)
• Unclear pathways or training (29.4%)
• Career opportunities are not well defined (23.5%)
• Socioeconomic barriers (17.6%)
• Lack of diversity (11.8%)
• Lack of instructors (5.9%)
• Lack of recognition or respect (0%)

Hatch split the evening attendees into three groups with different categories in order to develop solutions to the barriers.

The categories were career pathways and training certifications, limited capacity or funding, and socioeconomic challenges.

The group tackling career pathways and training certifications discussed the relationship with meeting industry needs and the pros and cons that are associated with recruiting individuals and how to train people for certain jobs.

They also discussed the relationship fair compensation has to the challenges of jobs, as well as retaining people. An idea posed was potentially using a marketing component to show positive case studies that have created opportunities while facing these challenges. They also discussed professional development opportunities.

The group that workshopped limited capacity and funding discussed the benefits of regional collaboration. Much of the discussion turned to educating and engaging the youth so they can have opportunity to build connection to the land. One idea was an ambassador program where youth can start meeting capacity by filling the gaps on day to day work while building that connection.

Not only did they discuss getting the youth excited over conservation, but also discussed the importance in showing them there is the potential to have a career in conservation.

However, they discussed with that, there is need to advocate for wages that keep people in the field. An observation raised was witnessing people working conservation or forestry jobs move to other fields due to the lack of financial viability. They concluded that addressing wage is important in order to continue to maintain and grow the workforce.

Finally, the group discussing socioeconomic challenges worked to identify ways to bring individuals who face those challenges into the field. They theorized ways to support them with services as they gain education, and enter the workforce, finding their way to economic prosperity.

The grouped worked to identify the agencies that can provides those services, from nonprofits, higher education, to partnerships. They touched on the importance of making sure students in conservation corps are also enrolled in higher education, making them eligible for Pell Grants.

The group also touched on the importance of cultivating understanding on the value of field work and the knowledge and experience it brings.

Hatch said the alliance provides three workforce development programs to Tribes, conservation organizations, and agencies across the whole Sierra Nevada region. “We will take all of these ideas and coalesce them and try and figure out some similarities and patterns and actions,” she said, “to take all of this with all of you to the next step.”