The Mt. Adams Institute and Shawnee National Forest are excited to bring back the national career-training program for military veterans, called VetsWork Environment, to the Shawnee. The VetsWork program provides an opportunity for local veterans to transition to a career in natural resources and public lands management.
Shawnee National Forest is hosting this 33-week hands-on internship in which the participants will learn new skills while supporting dispatch, timber, and vegetation projects. The experience and training in the VetsWork program is designed to encourage participants to explore potential career options with their sponsoring agencies.
“The VetsWork program is intended to support military veterans as they transition back into civilian life by providing them with this opportunity to explore a potential career in service to public lands and the natural resources that abound in the region,” states Brendan Norman, Executive Director of the Mt. Adams Institute. Since the inception of the program, over 95 veterans have been hired into positions with public land agencies as a result of the program.
The benefits to both the members and the sponsoring agencies are clear. Members get direct on-the-job training, insider knowledge of the agency, and invaluable networking opportunities, as well as potential non-competitive hiring authorities upon completion of the program.
The Shawnee VetsWork internship positions are based out of Murphysboro and Vienna, Illinois and begin on March 2nd, 2020. Interested applicants should contact Mt. Adams Institute’s recruitment coordinator, Katie Schmidt at [email protected]. For more information or to review the position descriptions visit https://mtadamsinstitute.org/vetswork-environment-internships.
