Strengthening Workforce Pathways Through Scholarships
To support and strengthen initiatives addressing the decline in labor participation throughout the Pacific Northwest (PNW), the Western Forestry & Conservation Association launched a Forest Sector Workforce Development Working Group in January 2024. Comprised of a diverse mix of public and private organizations, the group convenes monthly to foster connections and dismantle barriers that might otherwise hinder workforce discussions. The ultimate goal for this group is to enhance regional workforce coordination through the identification of successful programs that are working (and replicating where possible), exploring new avenues to increase awareness and engagement around forest sector careers, and collaborating within our sector to compile information that can be valuable resources accessible to all.
Each working group meeting centers around a different topic, spotlighting individual programs across the region and tackling broader themes. Discussions have explored ways to engage with the mass timber movement and strengthen connections with Conservation Corps to create clear career pathways. The most recent meeting in March looked at which scholarship opportunities are available in the greater Pacific Northwest for those seeking to pursue post-high school training and education relevant to a career in the forest sector.
Scholarships are a powerful yet often underutilized outreach tool providing opportunities to engage with students, parents, educators, counselors, and community members, fostering positive perceptions of the forest industry. However, getting students to apply for scholarships is a significant challenge. The working group discussed a variety of factors contributing to the lack of interest, including limited awareness of forestry as a career prospect, industry constraints in promoting scholarship opportunities, the absence of a centralized resource for these programs, and the overwhelming demands on students, who may struggle to find the time and energy to write yet another essay amid their academic commitments.
So, what does it say about the students taking the initiative to apply for our scholarships? Any applicant who fills out a scholarship application demonstrates that they are the motivated go-getter we want in the forest industry. We should think about how to invest in their potential, maintain engagement, and support their journey toward a forest sector career—whether or not they receive a scholarship.
If you are a part of a scholarship committee, consider how you follow up with your applicants. Are you providing them with feedback on their application? Are you inviting them to an in-person event so they can have the chance to meet professionals working in the industry? Are you connecting them with job board resources so they are prepared for when they graduate? Are you following up with them with informal or formal mentorship? Are you encouraging them to reapply for your scholarship in the future? What value/opportunities can be added to the pre-existing scholarship process?
To address the scholarship visibility piece, the group is working to compile a list that can be used to highlight the scholarships themselves as well as the sector as a whole and be a resource for students, parents, counselors, educators, and industry.
If you offer or know of scholarship opportunities for those pursuing certificates, professional training, technical degrees, 2-year programs, 4-year programs, or graduate degrees in forest management, natural resources, forest operations and engineering, GIS, diesel technology, industrial maintenance, millwright, heavy equipment operations, wood science or related programs, please click on this form to enter that information. At this time, we are specifically looking for scholarships for Northern CA, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, or national ones with no state or school requirement.
By working together on projects like this, we can connect different parts of the supply chain and show the public that our sector is comparable to healthcare or tech in the breadth of meaningful, family-wage opportunities available for people of all backgrounds and educational levels.
We hope that this scholarship list will be finalized and available for public distribution at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.
