“WorkWild” — educating young people about forest careers
Forget the plaid shirt and chainsaw – the new image of forestry is a high-tech job, living in a pleasant community where you can go fishing with friends after work. “Forestry today is about living the life you want. Having a meaningful job in a green industry with a healthy balance between work and play,” says Cam Rollins, a young forester who heads “WorkWild,” a campaign launched by the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA) to educate students about forestry careers.
As it gears up for economic recovery and increased demand for its products, the forest industry is looking to meet current and future workforce needs. With many young people holding outdated ideas about forest-based work, WorkWild aims to get the word out about the range of rewarding opportunities — in trade, technical and professional careers — that start in the forest.
Cam will be traveling the province in his WorkWild pickup — labelled his “desk” — and join other industry employees in various towns to talk to students about the benefits of working in forestry. Starting January 14 in Whitecourt, the WorkWild team will visit high schools and community events, supported by WorkWild.ca, a website featuring career descriptions, current job openings, education and training providers and scholarships, and by a video to be screened in movie theatres and elsewhere.
Even in forest-dependent communities, many students are unaware of the scope of career options in the forest sector: the industry relies on biologists, soil scientists, road technologists and other specialists, in addition to professional foresters and forest technologists – and that’s just in the woodlands. Today’s high-tech sawmills, pulp mills and other production facilities need engineers, accountants, supervisors, lab techs, IT experts and other specialists, as well as highly skilled tradespeople and operators.
AFPA President Brady Whittaker notes about 50 communities in the province are largely dependent on the forestry industry. “We want kids in forestry towns who go away to university or technical institutes to think about coming back to work for us. If you want to be an accountant or an electrician, for example, choose the forest sector to work in. We are sustainable, we are doing the right things, and you can work in a rural area and be outdoors.”
Alberta’s forest industry manages for long-term sustainability, harvesting at levels below natural growth rates and growing two trees for every tree cut. In Alberta, 61 per cent of the province’s forestlands are third-party certified to a sustainable forest management standard, demonstrating the forest industry’s commitment to responsible practices. Based on a renewable resource, the forestry industry is a key part of the Alberta economy, generating direct, indirect and induced revenue of more than $5.5 billion annually and providing total tax revenues estimated at $200 million.