The Refuge System will become known as a workplace that welcomes employees from all backgrounds. The Service must recruit and retain a workforce that reflects the ethnic, age and language diversity of America in the 21st century. There has to be recognition of different cultural values and the importance of a workforce that resembles the community in which it exists. This will not only enhance public support for the Refuge System, but will also ensure a workforce of the best and brightest minds. An inclusive workforce is a powerful tool in being relevant to a changing America.
Recommendation: Place special emphasis on reaching youth at the high school and college levels in diverse communities to expose them to conservation careers and promote the Service as the conservation employer of choice.
Employment programs such as the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), AmeriCorps and work/study programs should be expanded not only to provide temporary employment, but also to ready students for conservation careers. The Service has effective recruiting tools for students. Others are available and successful but often underutilized in recruiting. The focus should be on students with extraordinary potential that traditional recruitment or selection processes might have overlooked.
Ultimately, leaders inspire others. The Service has long recognized that mentoring programs are a step along a development continuum to prepare Service leaders for senior and executive positions. However, there is presently no formal Service or Refuge System-wide mentoring program that could help coach and guide employees towards greater leadership roles. Such mentoring can be especially critical for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce. In late 2010, the Department of the Interior implemented a mentoring program that should be expanded within the Service and the Refuge System as one step in cultivating a new cadre of Refuge System leaders.
Recommendation: More than double the number of minorities and people with disabilities working for the Refuge System within the next 10 years, resulting in a workforce representation matching the civilian labor workforce in the System’s main occupation series.
Recommendation: Develop and implement a Service-wide strategy for targeting diverse groups of conservation professionals in government and beyond to assist in raising awareness about conservation careers with the Service and develop sustainable relationships with minority-focused conservation organizations.
Recommendation: Implement a mentoring program that supplements the Department of the Interior mentoring program and other efforts underway in the Service.
The Service recognizes that it is imperative to move forward with innovation and a stronger commitment to creating a diverse workforce as part of building a culture of inclusiveness. With a diverse and committed workforce, the Refuge System will capture the diversity of thought and perspectives that are unique to different cultures, experiences and backgrounds. As a result, the Refuge System will excel in engaging all cultures in its wildlife conservation mission.
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Changing this will all come down to 1) changing organizational culture, 2) setting meaningful targets cognizant of the importance that diversity should reflect our local communities, and 3) holding the organization and its managers accountable for leveraging diversity as a performance measure and leadership competency.
Remember that Diversity in terms of education, skills, discipline and background is also an important component here