Local park and recreation agencies are powerful, community-driven hubs for workforce and career readiness. As trusted third spaces and one of the nation’s largest providers of out-of-school time services, they reach more than 50 million youth each year through impactful programs and safe, engaging spaces. They are also leading employers of teens and young adults, offering first-job experiences that build essential skills and open doors to future careers.
With this unique combination of reach, trust and real-world training, park and recreation agencies are ideal partners for expanding workforce development initiatives.
NRPA’s Youth Workforce Development Framework
In parks, young people learn to play, develop a love for nature — and often get their first jobs! Whether you’re doing workforce development as an official program in parks and recreation or not, you’re supporting young people in building full lives and careers.
NRPA’s Youth Workforce Development Framework is here to support you as you do this essential work. This framework includes everything from tools to recruit youth into your spaces to step-by-step outlines for how to develop partnerships.
Visit the Framework
Want to learn more? Visit the framework and hear professionals in the field introduce strategy and break down what you’ll find in the framework.
Learning in Action – Youth Workforce Development Skill Builder
NRPA values continuous learning for all park and recreation professionals. We have developed three on demand skill builders to take your workforce development learning journey to the next level. These flexible learning opportunities are designed to fit your busy schedule, with one of our “Stepping Stone” modules taking only 15 minutes to complete!
- Moving to the Next Step in Workforce Development
Discover the workforce development you’re already doing — without even trying! Take your work to the next level with intentional workforce development strategies intended to expand existing offerings. You’ll find examples from your peers, youth engagement strategies and more.
- Another Mile Marker — Coming Soon!
- Stepping Stone — Coming Soon!
Keep an eye on this space for more skill builder learning opportunities.
Workforce Development Communities of Practice
During the last three years, NRPA has supported suburban, rural and urban agencies in their youth workforce development journeys. Our focus has been to strengthen workforce pathways for youth through the power of parks and recreation.
Explore the following stories highlighting the impact of NRPA’s youth workforce development efforts:
This workforce product was funded by a $2 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (grant #23A60YP00002-01-00). This funding provides 100 percent of the support for this NRPA Workforce Pathways for Youth Initiative. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.
Contact Us
NRPA is consistently seeking and creating opportunities to prepare and position park professionals as leaders in workforce development in their communities. If you have ideas or questions, please contact us at resilience@nrpa.org.
