First Cohorts of the Arborist Apprenticeship Program graduate to Journeyworkers
A partnership started in 2017 between the Colorado Tree Care Sector Partnership and Front Range Community College has resulted in the first graduating Arborist Journeyworkers from the program. On Wednesday, April 6th, four students will reach Journeyworker status after 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning and over 430 hours of classroom related instruction.
According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Office of the Future of Work, the state has prioritized registered apprenticeships “as critical to our future workforce”. Apprenticeship programs help employers to recruit and develop a highly-skilled workforce to grow their business. Journeyworkers can mentor future apprentices, but can only mentor one apprentice at a time, leading to the need for more Journeyworkers in the state to help train the future workforce.
Josh Morin, the Chair of the Tree Care Sector Partnership and Owner of We Love Trees, says “We are excited to celebrate this milestone of graduating the first cohort of Arborist Journeyworkers in Colorado. These professionals have completed a 3-year registered apprenticeship program through their employers and have participated in related learning provided through the Front Range Community College. This effort would not have been possible without a lot of determination and commitment from a number of people within the Tree Care Industry in Colorado. The Colorado Tree Care Sector Partnership has worked diligently to champion Arborist Apprenticeship in Colorado to help uplift our profession, increase employment opportunities, and support local businesses and municipalities to hire and train Arborists. We are excited to continue to grow and expand this program in Colorado!”