Not every career path can be contained within four walls. In Northwest Arkansas, a growing demand for bike trails depends on a skilled workforce. For students at NorthWest Arkansas Community College, building and maintaining bike paths is a practical way to turn their passion for the outdoors into a rewarding career.
Launched in the Fall of 2024, NWACC’s Trail Technician program prepares participants with the knowledge and hands-on skills needed to build, maintain, and improve sustainable trail systems. Participating students gain hands-on experience through field-based instruction and real-world trail projects while working toward stackable academic credentials and industry certifications.
Since its launch, program participants and graduates have secured work opportunities with organizations such as Arkansas Conservation Corps, Trailblazers, Oz Trails Bike Park, Bella Vista Property Owners Association, Copper Harbor Trails Club, Friends of Arkansas Singletrack, and more.
Moving from the Classroom to the Workforce Trail
The trail industry is inherently practical. Building and maintaining sustainable trail systems depends entirely on skilled labor. Students need to be able to do more than understand concepts, they need to demonstrate technical knowledge, make sound decisions in the field, work safely, and understand the standards and practices expected by trail systems employers.
The goal of the program is simple: To create a direct connection between education and the trail workforce.
For Lori Greminger, a Director at the Trail Technician Program, success looks like students moving from the classroom directly into the workforce. “One of our greatest measures of success has been seeing program participants go on to work with organizations throughout the region and across the country in trail construction, maintenance, stewardship, and operations.”
Building the Next Phase of Professional Trail Training
The Trail Technician Program is entering an exciting next phase of growth focused heavily on workforce development and expanding access to professional trail training.
Beginning in Spring 2027, the program plans to launch a new series of intensive, non-credit workforce training opportunities in Trail Construction & Heavy Equipment Operations, Trail Maintenance & Stewardship, Trail Planning & Design, and Trail Operations & Regulations. These trainings are designed to serve employers, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, working trail professionals, and others seeking concentrated professional development.
The program is also working to develop customizable employer cohorts that will allow organizations to tailor training to their workforce needs. This includes increased opportunities for mechanized and heavy equipment instruction – an area industry partners have identified as a growing need.
Another major initiative underway is the development of a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship pathway in Trail Construction and Maintenance. The goal is to connect structured on-the-job training with related technical instruction and create an even clearer connection between education, employment, and long-term career advancement.
At the same time, NWACC is continuing to expand access to industry credentials, including increasing its Sawyer Certification and Wilderness First Aid training opportunities from one offering per year to two.
Together, these initiatives are helping NWACC build an educational ecosystem in which academic credentials, industry certifications, customized workforce training, apprenticeships, and employment pathways reinforce one another.
A Call for Partnerships
NWACC’s Trail Technician program welcomes partnerships with trail builders, municipalities, land managers, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and other employers interested in strengthening the trail workforce.
Organizations can partner with NWACC through customized workforce training, student field experiences, apprenticeship and employment opportunities, industry feedback, and other collaborative projects.
“We are especially interested in connecting with employers who want to help shape the next generation of trail professionals and ensure that training continues to reflect the skills needed in the field.” Greminger said. Interested organizations can connect with NWACC’s Trails & Trades department here.
60 Years of Forging New Paths
NOCTI’s skill assessment has become an important part of this new career pathway at NWACC.
One of the highlights of NWACC’s partnership with NOCTI has been the ability to add an objective, nationally recognized skill assessment to a program that is deeply rooted in hands-on, experiential learning.
“When assessments are aligned with industry expectations, the results can benefit everyone involved.” Greminger said. Students gain an opportunity to demonstrate their competencies, employers gain greater confidence in the skills represented by a credential, and educators gain valuable information to identify strengths and gaps within their curriculum. “Students have an additional opportunity to demonstrate what they know and validate the technical competencies they have developed through programs like this.”
Skill assessment should be viewed as more than a final test; it can be a tool for continuous program improvement. Greminger found that NWACC’s partnership with NOCTI made the Trail Technician assessment development process more valuable.
“We particularly value having a partner, like NOCTI, that understands the importance of industry alignment. Our program is intentionally built around employer feedback and evolving workforce needs, so having an assessment partner that shares that commitment has been incredibly valuable as the Trail Technician Program continues to grow.”
Through partnerships like this one, NOCTI helps programs connect hands-on learning with meaningful evidence of the skills learners are building for the workforce.
Become a Partner
Interested in exploring what partnering with NOCTI & NBS would look like for your organization? Contact us today.
About NOCTI’s 60th Anniversary Blog Series
Over the next several weeks, we are celebrating our 60th Anniversary by shining a spotlight on the work of our partners. As we highlight the ways assessments have evolved to meet the needs of the CTE community, we invite you to follow along and join the conversation using #NOCTI60 on social media.
Image courtesy of NWACC