Indian Youth Service Corps

Grow Your Career. Protect Cultural and Natural Resources.

The Indian Youth Service Corps provides you paid experience and meaningful education, employment, and training opportunities through conservation projects on public and Indian lands – placing you on a path to a Federal career. 

Eligibility

• You must be between the ages of 16 and 30, or up to 35 years old if you are a veteran.

• Indian youth receive preference.

Benefits

• Receive hands-on training opportunities in a variety of career fields while earning a stipend, living allowance or wage.

• Gain skills necessary to embark on a path to a rewarding career, either in the public or private sector.;

• Work 640 hours (about 4 months) to earn a 2-year non-competitive hiring authority. This authority gives you an advantage when applying for job opportunities with the Forest Service and other federal agencies.

Project Types

• Trail building 

• Reforestation 

• Landscape and seascape conservation that protects species and ecosystems 

• Invasive species removal 

• Erosion control 

• Fire fuels reduction and wildfire protection 

• Wildlife surveys 

• Habitat restoration 

• Farming and gardening 

• Water and soil sampling 

• Historic structures and artifacts preservation 

• Restoration and rehabilitation of facilities 

• Interpretive services (traditional ecological knowledge input) 

• Tribal relations management 

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) work 

Program Length

At least 4 months in length. You must work 640 hours to earn a Public Lands Corps non-competitive hiring authority. 

Contact Information

For more information about the program, contact a partnership specialist.

Contact a partnerships specialist

How to Apply

• Use the Find a Forest tool to find a Forest Service location that you are interested in working for. Call to find out if they have a project involving the Indian Youth Service Corps. 

• Visit the Corps Network website to find a corps and then reach out to your local Conservation Corps, Tribes, and Tribal organizations.

• Check out opportunities with the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps. 

Program Completion: Next Steps

If you work 640 hours in the program, you can earn a Public Land Corps non-competitive hiring authority. This gives you an advantage when competing for career opportunities with the Federal government.