Education Foundation internships and careers trains students for

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I Lumber Association formed the NAWLA Education Foundation to introduce today's students to career opportunities in the forest products industry. The primary objective of the not-for-profit foundation is to seed growth in all sectors of the industry by

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Recently, NEF completed its third career exploration workshop at a joint session between Mississippi State University and St. Peter's University students.

Students who complete the NEF course are eligible for internships within the lumber distribution and manufacturing industry. The course included both classroom lectures and field work. Students had a chance to learn about important industry topics such as supply chain management, forest certification, green building, and carbon markets. These classroom presentations were supplemented by field visits to lumber mills, working forests, and residential building sites. Students receive college credit for the course.

Gary Vitale, NAWLA c.e.o. and president, believes bringing in young talent can benefit the entire industry. "Today's students are not familiar with our industry, and what they do know is often out-dated. The industry has gone through tremendous technological advancements of late, and environmental stewardship has become an even bigger focus in companies. In a recovery that struggles to create jobs, the forest products industry creates billions of dollars in trades and many new career opportunities. We want tomorrow's leaders to consider the industry as a cateer."

When creating NEF, NAWLA researched its members' internship programs and found few companies that had a formal program. Since many of today's college students need internships for graduation, the forest products industry has been missing out on recruiting new talent and exposing them to a career in the industry.

"The industry needs more than just forestry and industrial distribution majors," said Vitale. "We need talent in accounting and finance, marketing and sales, engineering and operations. Many NEF students come from these majors and take the workshop for the internship opportuni- tics. Llnlilrtunatcly. wc har,e more studcnts than intcrnships so fhr."

Sctting up an intcrnship progranr llonr scratch can be hard. but thc rcsults can be very rewarding. Conrpanies get the chance to "tcst drivc" potential new employccs. whilc also educating futurc lcadcrs on the value of the fbrest products inclr,rstry. If done light. an intcrnship can also benefit it corrpany by bringing in a fresh perspcctivc to an a-uc olcl industry.

"Wc irrc lo,rkittl lirt'uotttPlrttics trt stcp Lrp and invcst irr thc firtLrrc o1'tl'rc industry. It can bc throLrgh a valuablc intcrnship or a contribution to NE,F." saicl Vitalc. "Rcgcncrating qLraliti. cntry lci'cl crrplol'ccs shor.rlcl be a priority ol'cach firrcst pnrclucts conrpilnv who wants to rcnrain viublc and sLtcccssl'ul in this changing worlcl."

"l urgc cvcry col'npany "r'ho is intercstccl to visit nuwlaeducationfirunclltion.org to lcarn how to invest in thc lirtr-rrc ol' this great industr1,." saicl Vitalc.