Last updated: 9/6/24

PowerCorpsBOS

Training Boston's young adults for jobs in the green industry.

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PowerCorpsBOS is a 10-month Green Industry Workforce Development Program. It provides young adults with training, career readiness support, and connections to employers in the green industry. An “earn and learn” program, PowerCorpsBOS pays members to participate in hands-on training that prepares them for living-wage careers.

Applications are currently closed.

How it Works

PowerCorps Boston's 10-month program is divided into two phases.

Phase 1: Foundations

A 4-month training where participants focus on workforce-readiness skills, are introduced to green industry careers, and are provided with support services necessary to complete the program. This phase combines soft skills training and environmental hard skills training that can be used for employment in the green industry and beyond.

Phase 2: Industry Academy

Participants who complete Phase 1 advance to Phase 2, a 6-month training where participants will choose to specialize in one of the three tracks:

Urban Forestry: Participants in this track will study arboriculture including topics like soils, urban tree stressors, and pruning techniques. Participants will also learn to operate power tools such as chainsaws and wood chippers.
Building Operations: Participants in this track will learn about sustainable building operations and maintenance. This track is a hybrid training model of college-level courses and on-the-job internship training.
Urban Greening: Participants in this track will focus on green infrastructure, urban agriculture, and natural resource management through key partnerships with Boston's green industry leaders.

Eligibility and Benefits

To be eligible to join PowerCorpsBOS, you should:

Be 18-30 years old
Be a Boston resident.
Have a high school diploma or HiSET/GED.
Be unemployed or underemployed and not in college or on a career track.
Have an interest in outdoor, hands-on training
Be able to commit to the program schedule, Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM.

Priority populations include returning citizens, court-involved residents, youth who have experienced homelessness or housing instability, young people who have been in foster care, and other marginalized communities.

Benefits of the program include: