Nearly half of young adults in the United States would prefer to work outdoors rather than in a traditional office job, so rugged clothing brand Carhartt is teaming up with the National Park Foundation to entice those consumers to consider Service Corps jobs available throughout the country’s national park system.
“Carhartt has been a proud supporter of the National Park Foundation’s Communities and Workforce initiative since 2021,” said Brian Bennett, vice president of creative and executive producer at Carhartt. “Our partnership includes a $750,000, multi-year financial commitment that strives to facilitate connections to the parks, provide job training, and help to create more opportunities for diverse leaders in the outdoors.”
The new “Outdoor Office” public awareness campaign highlights the opportunities to protect and preserve the national parks while gaining valuable work experience. The campaign includes a series of out-of-home billboards that depict familiar office settings amid a backdrop of well-known national parks. The billboards are appearing in Detroit, Seattle, Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia.
“As younger generations feel uncertain about selecting career paths, Carhartt wants to be a leading voice in helping them realize possibilities,” noted Carhartt’s President and Chief Operating Officer Linda Hubbard, in a release. “Through the service corps, they can learn in-demand career skills, find a job that is rewarding and aligns with their values and support the national parks.”
The campaign is born out of company research finding that 85% of Gen Z and Millennials are somewhat open to a job in nature conservation or the outdoors. In addition, 44% of the cohort said “finding a job that aligns with my values” is a top challenge in the current job market. The study also found that 76% of Millennials and Gen Z believe young Americans should consider vocational and technical education rather than a four-year college degree.
“Jobs offered through the Service Corps are like trade school for outdoor people,” Bennett said. “And spring marks an important recruitment period for Service Corps programs – as increased park visitation and climate change create the need for 500+ job openings at local Service Corps organizations nationwide.”
For the past few years, Carhartt has used its marketing to highlight the work of tradespeople, many of whom account for the brand’s consumer base. Last year, the company launched a commercial, “Make It Happen,” that celebrated the work people can accomplish in a single day to make the world a better place. Similarly, the brand teamed with Metallica’s “All Within My Hands” foundation in 2021 to spotlight the stage crew workers who perform behind the scenes to make rock concerts happen.
