New Workforce Training Program Provides Entry to Green Careers

Work2Live WELL Now Recruiting Applicants in Baltimore City and Cambridge

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, today launched a new workforce development, skills and training program, Work2Live WELL, designed to provide entry into the emerging careers fields of the environment and natural resources.

With funding from the Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) Maryland program, the pilot program is recruiting 30 adult applicants in the Baltimore City and Cambridge area.

Selected individuals will receive classroom instruction, field training, mentoring and a weekly stipend.

“Work2Live WELL is more than a technical skills training program, it’s about connecting citizens with real-world positions we need filled to enhance, protect and restore our environment and natural resources,” Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. “Those selected for this innovative program will be on the fast-track to ‘green’ jobs and careers, be it monitoring the health and quality of the Chesapeake Bay, managing and protecting our fish, forests and wildlife resources, rebuilding and restoring our coastlines and much, much more. This program aims to develop a new generation of ecological stewards in a way that better reflects the diversity of our communities, environment and state.”

Work2Live WELL is a workforce development and skills accelerator program, which seeks to provide personal and professional training in emerging career fields. The eight-week program (five days a week, eight hour days) offers entry, exposure, opportunity and training in aquaculture, boating, commercial fisheries, forestry, restoration and wildlife management.

The program will be funded through EARN Maryland, the state’s nationally-recognized workforce solution, which helps businesses cultivate the skilled workforce they need to compete while helping prepare Marylanders for meaningful careers and providing advancement opportunities for the existing workforce. Work2Live WELL is the EARN program’s first direct investment into the public sector, with a fellow state agency – Natural Resources – as the lead applicant.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on the Work2Live WELL program,” Maryland Labor Secretary Kelly M. Schulz said. “Bringing together employers from both the private and public sector, the program embodies the intent of EARN Maryland, ensuring that industry needs are met by placing employers at the helm of program development. I am confident that through the Work2Live WELL program, these partners will benefit from a more highly skilled workforce.”

The program is now recruiting for two distinct tracks, one focused on land resources and the other on water resources. Training will begin in spring with graduation slated for May 2018.