This guide was created for community leaders and other local entities to help them access resources to create jobs, train talent, expand educational opportunities and provide technical assistance.
America’s rural workforce provides a vital foundation for the nation’s economy. Rural America supplies the nation’s food and energy resources, and the fiber necessary for goods and manufacturing. As USDA continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and help restore the economy, we remain committed to supporting rural employers and job seekers to rebuild rural America’s workforce better, stronger, and more equitably than ever before.
For these reasons, USDA is prioritizing collaborations with its federal partners to help start and grow thousands of businesses and give individuals the educational and financial tools to succeed in rural America. This guide was created for community leaders and other local entities to help them access resources to create jobs, train talent, expand educational opportunities, and provide technical assistance. The guide outlines programs and services available at USDA and other federal departments and agencies that support workforce development in rural communities.
The guide highlights four key assistance types necessary to building a stronger rural workforce:
1. Workforce development planning
2. Infrastructure and equipment financing
3. Industry and employer engagement, entrepreneurship, and local business development
4. Education, training and apprenticeship
Examples on page 2 illustrate how customers have used USDA programs to support each
assistance type. A resource matrix on page 10 organizes USDA funding opportunities by
customer and assistance type.
A list of additional federal resources that complement USDA funding opportunities is
provided on page 16. Additional USDA resource guides are available on page 17.
Attached document published January 2022
Ice Age National Scenic Trail: Trail Stewardship Notebook
posted Mar 27, 2024
The Ice Age National Scenic Trail (NST) is a thousand-mile footpath highlighting Wisconsin’s renowned Ice Age heritage and scenic beauty. The Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) and its partners can shape users’ experiences. As stewards of the land and the Trail, we can help users develop a connection with the land and create a sense of wonder — even pique their curiosity enough to further explore the Trail.
OSI Guide to Independent Stewardship for Trails
posted Mar 27, 2024
This training was developed to teach the fundamentals of basic trail maintenance to volunteers working independently in groups of three or less people. Local, state and federal land management agencies will benefit from this training because participants will gain skills that allow them to perform needed routine trail maintenance with minimal supervision and coordination.
The Jobs Case for Conservation
posted Oct 14, 2023
This report from the Center for American Progress looks at recent research on the direct, indirect, and induced jobs created by the conservation economy—recreation, renewable energy, restoration, and sustainable land management.
BLM Standards for Fire Training and Workforce Development
posted Oct 13, 2023
The mission of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Fire Training and Workforce Development Program is to develop the wildland firefighting workforce through qualification standards, training standards, and workforce development programs in support of BLM fire management objectives.
520 views • posted 10/10/2023
