Youth Career Education in Natural Resources and STEM
Inspiring the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards
A Pathway from Wonder to Workforce
For many youth, the journey into environmental careers begins with a single spark—an experience that opens their eyes to the beauty and complexity of the natural world. At Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce, we understand that fostering this early connection is key to building the next generation of natural resource professionals. That’s why our programs are grounded in hands-on education, career exposure, and community engagement.
Greg Wolley’s career began in environmental education, including leading youth from Los Angeles on backpacking trips through the Mojave Desert. Over the years, he has managed and contributed to youth-focused conservation programs across multiple organizations and agencies. These experiences showed that when young people are given real opportunities to explore and lead, they gain the confidence and knowledge to pursue careers in natural resources and STEM fields.
Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce continues that mission. We support parks departments, conservation nonprofits, school districts, and land management agencies to create customized youth education initiatives. From environmental class series to outdoor conservation corps crews, our work centers relevance, access, and connection to community. We help ensure these programs are inclusive, particularly of BIPOC and low-income youth, who have historically had less access to environmental career pathways.
Our ultimate goal is to help young people see themselves in these careers—and equip them with the tools and support to move forward.
Program Planning, Partnership, and Facilitation
Helping Organizations Design and Deliver Youth-Focused Initiatives
Effective youth engagement programs in natural resources require intentional planning, clear goals, and strong partnerships. Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce helps organizations design and refine education and career exposure programs that are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and mission-aligned.
We bring experience in both natural resource management and workforce development, and we understand how to bridge those worlds. We work with organizations to:
Design and refine conservation-focused youth employment programs
Facilitate strategic meetings across internal teams and external partners
Improve outreach and recruitment strategies
Develop curricula for workshops and career exposure classes
Align programs with grant funding opportunities and workforce needs
Greg has supported a variety of organizations in creating or strengthening their programming. For example, with People of Color Outdoors, he helped plan and coordinate an environmental careers class series, wrote a successful grant to support the effort, hired instructors, and managed logistics. His work with students through programs like "Urban Rangers" offered hands-on exposure to trail maintenance, wildlife conservation, and more.
Whether your team is just starting or looking to evolve an existing program, Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce offers tailored support to help you move from vision to implementation.
Building Inclusive Pipelines into STEM and Natural Resource Careers
Equity-Driven Approaches to Career Exposure
Creating inclusive pathways into environmental and STEM careers means going beyond basic programming. It involves examining who is reached, how programs are structured, and what barriers exist to full participation.
Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce helps organizations:
Identify structural barriers to youth participation
Develop culturally relevant programming
Create connections to mentors and professionals of color in the field
Foster a sense of belonging and long-term interest in natural resource careers
Collect feedback and measure program outcomes
Greg’s work has always included a strong equity lens, rooted in his own experiences and the needs of the communities he serves. Through his leadership, programs have supported historically excluded youth in developing both career skills and a deep sense of connection to environmental work.
We believe that real transformation happens when young people are not only participants but future leaders. Our goal is to support organizations in creating programs that reflect this belief and lead to tangible, lasting change.
More Services
Non-Profit Executive Director Coaching
Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce supports new non-profit executive directors with coaching and guides government project managers in meeting equity and diversity goals through contract management, communication, and small business support.
Small Business Development Services
We help small businesses overcome challenges in funding, financial management, HR, networking, and government contracting. With 20+ years of experience, Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce equips you with tools, connections, and strategies to grow and succeed.
Workforce Development and Equity
Turn your strategic plan into action with timelines, accountability, and equity-focused reviews. Our equity audits and welcoming environment strategies help build diverse, inclusive workplaces where employees thrive and organizations grow.
Public Speaking
Greg Wolley offers leadership coaching and dynamic public speaking services rooted in real-world experience, equity, and community empowerment. From one-on-one sessions to keynote talks, he helps individuals and organizations move from ideas to meaningful action.
