How Can I Get Clean, Green, Climate-Forward Job Training in the Bay Area?

North Bay

All Hands Ecology offers a paid Prescribed Fire Apprenticeship and a paid Stewardship Apprenticeship for early career professionals. The programs aim to reduce barriers to entry in the conservation fields paid skills training, and does not require previous experience in a related field.

• • Job type: Apprenticeship
  • Duration: Prescribed Fire Apprenticeship: 11 months. Stewardship Apprenticeship: 6 months.
  • Compensation: Prescribed Fire Apprenticeship: not specified. Stewardship Apprenticeship: not specified, includes housing.
  • Find Out More 

South Bay

Grassroots Ecology offers year-long internships for emerging professionals, and summer internships for current college students and recent graduates. Interns receive hands-on training in restoration, invasive and native plant management, and work with volunteers.

• • Job type: Internship
  • Duration: 10 month internship, and 9 week summer internship
  • Location: Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Jose, Los Altos, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Portola Valley, Los Gatos, and La Honda
  • Compensation: Year-round interns: $25/hour, 10-15 hours/week. 3% bonus for bilingual interns. Summer interns: unpaid, $250 travel stipend
  • Find Out More

San Jose Conservation Corps offers 1-year long job training in Natural Resource Management or Zero Waste Recycling. Participants learn skills in trail maintenance, wildfire mitigation, and park management, or zero-waste public education, food composting, and recycling electronic waste. The program is available for applicants ages 18-27 and no previous related experience is required to participate.

• • Job type: Job Training
  • Duration: 1 Year
  • Location: San Jose, CA
  • Compensation: $21.38/hour
  • Find Out More

Bay Area & Beyond

 California Climate Action Corps matches participants with non-profits, public agencies, Tribes, and educational organizations across California to work on climate issues for an 11 month Fellowship. Fellows work on a variety of projects including urban greening, wildfire mitigation, organic waste diversion, and education. Fellows must be over 18 and hold a high school diploma.

• •  Job type: Fellowship
  •  Duration: 11 months
  • Location: Varies/California
  • Compensation: $35,250 + healthcare
  • Find Out More 

Climate Corp partners with government agencies, non-profits, and businesses to offer 10-12 month fellowships for early career professionals wanting to pursue sustainability. Fellows work on a variety of climate initiatives within their partner organization, and receive professional development, career readiness training, and networking opportunities. Fellows typically hold a bachelor’s degree or have previous related volunteer or internship experience.

• • Job type: Fellowship
  • Duration: 10-12 months
  • Location: Bay Area
  • Compensation: ~$3,450/month + health insurance
  • Find Out More

California Climate Corps helps brew baycrete oyster reef balls. Photos: Marilyn Latta

Greenbelt Alliance offers paid training programs addressing local climate issues around the Bay Area. Participants learn about local environmental issues depending on the location and create capstone projects to help address these issues.

• • Job type: Training Program
  • Duration: 8-10 months
  • Location: Bay Area
  • Compensation: $1,200 stipend
  • Find Out More 

Point Blue Conservation Science offers four different apprenticeship and internship programs for early career professionals: Palomarin Field Station Apprenticeship monitoring birds, STRAW Apprenticeship learning restoration and community education, STRAW’s Community College Conservation Internship for underrepresented students to learn about conservation, and Scientific Illustration Apprenticeship.

• • Job type: Internship
  • Duration: Varies
  • Location: Bay Area
  • Compensation: STRAW’s Community College Conservation Internship: $1,700 stipend. All others not listed.
  • Find Out More

Point Blue STRAW program

Rising Sun Center for Opportunity offers paid summer job training for youth ages 15-24 as Energy Specialists who make house calls to perform water and energy assessments and increase residence energy efficiency. After the program, trainees complete an externship with a partner organization. The organization also offers free construction training for adults 18+.

• • Job type: Job Training
  • Duration: Energy Specialist: summer. Opportunity Build (construction training): 10-12 weeks.
  • Location: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Merced, Madera, Napa, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Tulare
  • Compensation: Energy Specialist: $20.50/hour ($22.50 during the externship). Opportunity Build: unpaid.
  • Find Out More

Save the Bay offers 6-12 month long fellowships training in wetland restoration. Fellows focus across habitat restoration, native plant nursery management, communications, and public policy.

• • Job type: Fellowship
  • Duration: 6-12 months
  • Location: Bay Area
  • Compensation: $20/hour, 20 hours/week
  • Find Out More

The San Francisco Estuary Partnership offers the Estuary Youth Council Program – a 6.5 month training program for Bay Area youth ages 18-24. Participants learn about San Francisco estuaries, receive professional development, and create a capstone project addressing conservation issues.

• • Job type: Training Program
  • Duration: 6.5 months
  • Location:  Bay Area
  • Compensation: $800/month stipend
  • Find Out More

Research for this list by Meghan Crebbin-Coates, KneeDeep’s Editor-in-Training Fellow.

Editor’s Note: This is representative listing, if we have missed a paid training program that relates to climate resilience please email the details to editor at kneedeeptimes.org