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It's been nearly a year since The Park People launched its Workforce Development Program: TreeForce. Since launching, we have graduated two cohorts of pre-apprenticies, expanded our curriculum, and are currently preparing to grow our impact even further. Our first cohort enrolled 10 pre-apprentices, with five reaching graduation. Our second cohort enrolled 12 pre-apprentices, with 11 reaching graduation, and five already receiving jobs in forestry. Our dedicated staff and pre-apprentices are helping to improve Denver's urban forest, fill much needed gaps in the forestry industry, and provide pathways to employment for members of the Denver community. 

There is a well-documented worker shortage across the country. As hiring demands grow towards pre-pandemic numbers, we’re still seeing inadequate numbers of workers. Many experts note that wage stagnation over the last several decades contributes to this shortage. To make matters more complicated, the number of skilled workers does not match the demand for the crucial, innovative work across industries. There are not enough resources available to help folks transition to better paying, more stable careers. This is also affecting Denver's urban forest.

Our new program Treeforce, laucnhing August 2022, will address these issues.

Read this blog post to learn how we will help fill the worker shortage throughout the greater Denver area, while connecting community members facing barriers to employment to meaningful career paths in urban forestry