I turned my passion into a green career. Now I help others do the same!

May 31, 2024

By Madhuri Jani, Senior Coordinator, Green Jobs with PLT Canada  

As a little girl growing up in India, I was always keen to learn about the environment and was fascinated by the interconnected natural world we share. Today, I’m channeling my passion for nature into connecting employers and youth through green careers. 

Overcoming barriers  

My academic career took me from India to ​​Dubai and finally to Canada, where I earned my Master of Environment and Sustainability from Western University in London, Ontario, in 2019.  

The path to my success wasn’t linear or fast. I first completed a BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, but after working a while, realized it was not the path for me and moved to Canada for my Master’s. Despite my success in school and my affinity for all things sustainability, I, like many other new Canadians, found getting my career off the ground a bit of a challenge. Little did I know that the very challenges I was going through— like figuring out how to approach employers and secure an internship—would give me the experience I needed to help others launch their careers. 

As someone who had studied and worked in the hospitality industry and who was also still relatively new to Canada, there were not many accessible resources to help me launch my career in sustainability. I was spending a lot of time online looking for opportunities and resources when I came across Project Learning Tree Canada’s Essential Skills for Job Seekers webinars on my LinkedIn feed. With topics like Write Your Way to the Top: How to Write an Interview-Worthy Cover Letter and Resume for a Green Job and Make a Great Impression: Skills for Success in Your Green Job Interview, I knew I had landed in the right spot.  

What I learned—like how to highlight my transferable skills from the hospitality sector, the importance of researching the employer and adding connections to my cover letter, and tips for improving my LinkedIn profile—helped me leverage my knowledge and passion for sustainability into job opportunities. I connected with other likeminded youths and with the staff at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Using the webinars’ tips, I applied to the Green Jobs Coordinator role at SFI, and I got it! Now, my job is to help other young adults like me find and excel in exciting green jobs across Canada with PLT Canada, an initiative of SFI. 

With support from Employment and Social Development Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy program, our team is creating opportunities for youth facing barriers to employment in the forest and conservation sector. Every day, I work with employers from our vast network to support youth in jobs related to ecosystem and wildlife management, recreation and interpretation, conservation and research, forest management, Indigenous forest-based programs, education, provincial and territorial parks, and more. 

Helping more youth see themselves in green careers 

We are very passionate about helping young adults explore green jobs and advance their career pathways. I work every day to assist those who may come from communities or situations where their career path is less clear or are facing challenges along the way.  

Our employers are keen to work with us to create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace for young adults facing barriers to work, such as youth living with a disability, Indigenous youth, visible minority youth, or newcomers to Canada.  

I’m confident the success we’ve seen so far in fostering diversity the forest and conservation sector will only grow. My hope is that we can continue to build ways for youth to interact one-on-one with mentors, employers, and each other. I see us building a real community where everyone is motivated to help each other as we change both how youth look at green careers and what the people who have green careers look like.  

PLT Canada’s Green Jobs program is supported in large part by our employer networks with the Canadian Parks Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). PLT Canada is an initiative of SFI that works to advance environmental education, forest literacy and career pathways using trees and forests as windows onto the world. PLT Canada’s Green Jobs program is funded by the Government of Canada under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy.