This year marked an important evolution for our Native Landscape Management Apprenticeship Program. At its core, the program creates meaningful opportunities for students from The Howard School to learn, work, grow, and spend time outside. For some, that experience may lead to a career in conservation, horticulture, or land management. For others, it may simply open a door to new skills, greater confidence, stronger relationships, and a deeper connection to the natural world. Both outcomes matter.
This year, with support from BuildWithin and Apprenticeship Works Chattanooga, we strengthened the program into a clearer workforce development pathway. Our high school participants are now part of a formal Pre-Apprenticeship Program, creating the opportunity to move from early career exploration into a paid, credentialed Registered Apprenticeship after graduation.
While the structure has grown more intentional, the heart of the program remains hands-on learning. This year, Pre-Apprentices built conservation skills through invasive plant removal, prescribed burn preparation, nursery propagation, community tree plantings, and other campus stewardship projects. They also developed skills that extend far beyond the landscape, including budgeting, résumé writing, interview preparation, leadership, teamwork, and water safety.
We also added an important new dimension through a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga. Apprentices are now connected with dedicated mentors, adding another trusted adult relationship to the support already provided by our staff and school partners. These connections create space for young people to talk about goals, navigate challenges, build confidence, and imagine what might come next.
Access remains central to the program. Paid employment, transportation, meals, work clothing and equipment, and consistent adult support help remove barriers that might otherwise make participation difficult. Thanks to generous funders, we added a passenger van this year, expanding our ability to reliably bring more young people to campus and grow the program.
Together, these investments are helping us build more than a job-training program. We are creating a pathway that combines meaningful work, mentorship, professional development, time outdoors, and conservation experience while giving young people room to discover where their own interests and strengths might lead.
