Shaping tomorrow’s workforce: Novel Green Forest Jobs (NGFJ) and the transition from tradition
17th Nov 2023
Numerous Green Forest Jobs[1] are emerging in the non-traditional forest-based sector. These novel jobs encompass economic activities related to new wood-based products, provision of ecosystem services, urban and social forestry, human health and recreation, ecotourism, green chemistry, education, research & development, and more. Opportunities to grow Green Forest Jobs are also increasing in the different forest-related fields, ranging from mechanization and technological development in the wood-based industry. These Novel Green Forest Jobs are also expected to grow in the provision of support services related to membership organizations, non-governmental organizations, advertising agencies, and other consulting activities (e.g., market research and technical analysis).
The forest sector is known to have a very low representation of females employed (below 20 %). This gender gap is also seen in the traditional forest sector workforce. Coupled with the challenge of an aging workforce, the forest sector urgently needs to find ways of attracting more people, including women, to engage in forest-related activities. Innovative forest-based Green Jobs are a way of alleviating potential labor shortages. Providing a more gender-balanced workplace, improving occupational health and safety at work, making working time more flexible, and offering fair wages will immensely contribute to improving the image of the forest sector and attract women and youth.
Through this webinar, we would like to highlight the Novel Green Forest Jobs based on the findings of the activities of FOREST EUROPE’s Workstream on Green Jobs and Forest Education and, while doing so, also showcase the transition from the traditional forestry profession to the novel green forest jobs-women perspective and the gaps in the curricular.
Objectives of the webinar
- Build up on the previous webinar on “How the heck did I end up here?” from the FOREST EUROPE series “From the Roots to the Canopy”. (More information: www.foresteurope.org)
- Present the results from the survey on Novel Green Forest Jobs and the workshop on Novel Green Forest Jobs to be held at the WS3 Expert Group Meeting (EGM) in October 2023.
- Highlight the transition and the potential of Green Forest Jobs by showcasing success stories of female professionals who pursued the traditional forestry programmes but transitioned to different fields of Green Forest jobs, the reasons behind that, and the challenges and opportunities that are there for women.
- Highlight opportunities and gaps regarding Novel Green Forest Jobs in the forest-related curriculum.
[1] Green Forest jobs, as defined by FOREST EUROPE, refer to “Jobs that provide forest-related goods and services while meeting the requirements of sustainable forest management and decent work.
Find here the Webinar programme, and speaker bios.
Date: 12th December 2023, 2:00 PM CET
Time: 90 minutes
Target group: Students from a forest-related programmes, universities, Expert Group “Green Jobs,” industry, interested public, FE interested observer organisations.
Moderator: Vera Steinberg (FOREST EUROPE)
