The Forest Service Job Corps program is a vocational training program designed for young adults from all walks of life. From its predecessor, the Civilian Conservation Corps, to the modern-day Civilian Conservation Centers, the purpose of the program is to provide training, mentorship and work experience to young people to prepare them to enter the workforce. As a senior firefighter on Boxelder Job Corps’ Crew 15, and as a firefighter early in my career with the Forest Service, I wanted to share my insights on the importance of the role the program should have in the Forest Service and how the agency can cultivate and support Job Corps graduates as our future workforce.

The Job Corps program is more than just a vocational training program. It is a program that provides young adults an opportunity to develop the necessary skills, attitudes and values to succeed in life. The program supports and instills the values of duty, respect and integrity, while fostering an environment of positive crew culture. These values are critical to the success of our future workforce.

Our challenge as staff, managers and leaders is to identify and integrate the strengths and weaknesses of these young adults in a meaningful and effective way. The key is to construct a solid foundation of careful trust and patient stewardship; in this way, we safeguard our roles in connecting our students with their futures. Our focus should be on cultivating an environment that recognizes and facilitates excellence and success.

The success of our future workforce relies on the same values that our Civilian Conservation Corps forbears held when they were young men. The environment we provide for our new employees must reflect the same hard work, compassion and dedication that we give to the care and maintenance of our national forests and grasslands. We are fostering the ethics, professionalism and standards in our Job Corps students that we wish to see implemented in every facet of the agency.

In a time where the human landscape has become increasingly alienated and more divided than ever, I believe the Forest Service and USDA as a whole have the capability to serve the land as a force for good. By recruiting our future workforce through the Job Corps program, we can instill the same values and work ethic our grandfathers had and prepare them to meet the challenges of the future.

The Forest Service Job Corps program is a vital asset for recruiting the agency’s future workforce. Leadership should prioritize developing a working relationship with employees built on mutual respect and understanding, instilling the values of duty, respect and integrity. When we provide careful and impartial oversight, putting our students’ best interests ahead of our own personal objectives, we fulfill the promises that we take on in our roles as leaders. That should be our objective. By doing so, we can prepare and support our future workforce and ensure the success of the Forest Service for generations to come.

Simon Austin enrolled in Wolf Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in 2019 and graduated with a certificate in Forestry. After graduation, he enrolled at Schenck Job Corps where he earned an additional certificate in the Advanced Wildland Fire Management Program. Austin worked as a senior firefighter on the Boxelder Job Corps Crew 15 for two years before accepting a job with the Happy Camp Crew 2 in Northern California in 2022. His dream is to become a smoke jumper.