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West Fraser celebrated as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People for 2021January 28, 2021
West Fraser, an SFI-certified organization and Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) Green Jobs employer, has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People for the fifth time. West Fraser has been incredible in supporting PLT Canada’s programming. Not only has the company hired youth into 46 Green Jobs since 2018—in Forestry Summer Student positions ranging from Operations to Planning to Silviculture—but it has also participated in a wide range of PLT Canada initiatives, showing great dedication to helping youth grow and advance in their green careers. Six West Fraser employees have participated or are currently participating in PLT Canada’s Green Mentor Program, which helps youth explore the Green Jobs sector and plan their career pathways. Two employees are also participating in PLT Canada’s new Green Leaders Program as mentors to Indigenous youth. They will help their mentees develop and deliver community service action projects, build skills, and explore opportunities in the forest and conservation sector. This summer, West Fraser also played a key role in PLT Canada’s “A Day in the Life” Webinar series for the Outland Youth Employment Program (OYEP). OYEP is a national network of land-based education, training, and work opportunities for Indigenous high school students. Three professionals from West Fraser (a senior biologist, a regional manager, and a silviculture coordinator) filmed a typical day on their jobs so that OYEP youth could virtually explore different careers in the forest and conservation sector. Laura Trout, a senior biologist for West Fraser, was one of these key individuals. In addition to filming and submitting her “A Day in the Life” video, Laura participated in the live OYEP webinar in which her video was played and where she talked about her role in research and planning. Previously, Laura was even a mentor during PLT Canada’s first Green Mentor cohort. “You have to keep your eyes open and your mind open to different opportunities and don’t immediately judge one job or one possible career path as not being ideal,” she advised. “I had an open mind about those things and ended up where I am today, and I’m so grateful for that.” PLT Canada is proud to partner with West Fraser, who shares a commitment to building a diverse and resilient workforce of the future by supporting young people along their green career pathways. | RELATED NEWS
Project Learning Tree Canada Releases Environmental Education Resource – Trees & Me: Activities for Exploring Nature with Young ChildrenProject Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) is thrilled to release a new environmental education resource today for families and teachers to connect young children ages 1–6 to nature, with a focus on trees. Trees & Me: Activities for Exploring Nature with Young Children offers hundreds of ideas for fun, indoor and outdoor, learning experiences perfect to celebrate Earth Day and beyond! Take toddlers and preschoolers on a nature journey, exploring the environment through their senses, experiencing trees throughout the seasons,…
Charting Career Pathways in Forestry with PLT Canada’s Specialist High Skills Major CertificationBy James Thordarson, Sr. Coordinator, Forest Education at PLT Canada While many in the sector know the diversity of forest-focused career opportunities available, it can be difficult to find age-appropriate and scientifically sound programs for students considering pursuing a green career pathway. To support youth in this path, Project Learning Tree (PLT) Canada offers a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) certification for high school students interested in pursuing a career in the forest sector. SHSM is an Ontario Ministry of Education approved program that gives…
Growing a resilient and diverse workforce: PLT Canada’s 2023 Annual ReportWe are thrilled to release our 2023 Annual Report—it was another busy year for Project Learning Tree Canada! We continued our work to provide a lifetime of learning through environmental education, forest literacy, and career pathways. Since 2018, PLT Canada has supported over 7,600 Green Jobs, providing 50% of placements to women and 15% of our placements to Indigenous youth. We have also placed 1,900 young adults facing one or more barriers to employment, such as youth self-identifying as…
This Giving Tuesday Help PLT Canada Foster a Lifetime of LearningImagine what introducing one child to nature through Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT) can do. Imagine a little girl learned how forests improve water quality through a PLT activity. It sparked her curiosity and ignited a passion for the environment. Now she’s a water quality engineer, improving access to clean drinking water. All because of one teacher doing one activity with this one little girl. Now imagine the positive impacts 145 million students have made on our environment, thanks to… |
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