COLORADO—After a long journey, Trapper Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Maite Olsen can finally—and proudly—say she is a Forest Service employee. However, without the support from Forest Service staff, who recognized the value and benefit of recruiting an energetic Job Corps graduate, her pursuit of this prize may not have been successful. 

At age 17, Olsen enrolled as a facilities maintenance student at Centennial Job Corps in 2018. She got her first taste of wildland firefighting as a member of Centennial Job Corps Crew 8 Hand Crew. Initially, while going out on fires with Crew 8, Olsen wasn’t confident she could be a successful firefighter. Physical training was challenging. Qualifying as a sawyer boosted her confidence.

“I realized, ‘Hey, girls can do it too,’” Olsen recalled. She appreciated how crew leaders never allowed her to give up on herself. By the end of the fire season, she earned a belt buckle for most physically improved. Olsen was sold. She wanted a career as a firefighter. 

But then, in late 2019, Centennial Job Corps was abruptly transferred from the Forest Service to the state of Idaho. Olsen was forced to put her plans on hold. “I was originally slated to enter Centennial’s Advanced Fire Management program,” said Olsen. “I was left stunned and in shock. I was 70% complete in my trade.” She had to quickly work to earn the remaining credentials necessary to complete her trade and leave Centennial with her facilities maintenance certificate. Olsen had to wait a year until she could apply to re-enroll in Job Corps. 

Firefighting pushed Olsen physically and mentally. She missed the work and traveling across the country. She missed the excitement each day brought with new experiences and the sense of accomplishment knowing she put in a hard day’s work. After Trapper Creek Job Corps reopened from its temporary COVID-19 pandemic closure, Olsen applied for and enrolled in its Wildland Firefighting and Conservation trade, arriving on-center in January 2022.  

Olsen’s wildland firefighting training was going well, but then she hit another roadblock—this one in the form of a dislocated elbow. Benched for the 2022 fire season, with the help of an instructor, Olsen landed an eight-week work-based learning assignment at the Darby Ranger Station on the Bitterroot National Forest. It was an assignment that, in Olsen’s words, was “priceless.” 

“It was life changing for me to see the administrative side of fire,” said Olsen. “It really does take a village to make things work behind the scenes. It allowed me to see the different career opportunities are within the Forest Service.” Working under District Ranger Abbie Jossie provided Olsen the opportunity to network with agency staff such as Fire Use Specialist Jaquie Parks, Administrative Support Assistant Jennifer Woirhaye and Erica Strayer in Recreation. 

Armed with her credentials, job experience and a Public Lands Corps certificate, Olsen began submitting applications for jobs within the agency and externally. She missed her first Fire Hire, the process the Forest Service uses to hire permanent and seasonal firefighters. She was prepared for the next round, however, she found navigating Fire Hire cumbersome. Here again, Olsen’s grit served her well. 

“I first applied for positions on a hand crew,” Olsen said. “I applied for maybe 40-50 positions and I received one call back-for a position in Idaho.” 

Olsen pressed on and applied for multiple positions in dispatch and customer service with no success. Following her own advice, namely, ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help and accept the help offered with an open mind,’ she asked staff to critique her resume. With that input, she revised and tailored multiple resumes to fit specific job announcements. 

Olsen next had a lucky break. Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Forest Supervisor Lisa Timchak, a member of the Job Corps Advisory Board, visited Trapper Creek Job Corps in October 2022. Timchak had two openings for front desk customer service representative on the Wisdom and Wise River ranger districts and she was determined to recruit from the centers. She advised her district rangers to prioritize hiring Job Corps graduates for entry level positions. 

“It’s important that we care for our Job Corps students and we bring them on as much as we can,” said Timchak. She asked Trapper Creek Job Corps Vocational Development Specialist Gary Mitchell if he had any students near graduation who would be interested in careers on the forest and Olsen’s name came up.

Understanding what positions Job Corps graduates qualify for and how they can be hired is critical for successful placement. Those entry-level customer service representative positions ultimately were not advertised, and other potential positions were advertised at grades beyond what a young Job Corps graduate could hope to qualify. 

Drawing a roadmap, Timchak, Mitchell, and Job Corps Program Coordinator Cris Newton-Schlesselman identified the Public Lands Corps and Schedule A hiring authorities as placement tools Olsen could use. She had already fallen in love with the Wise River District and with a hiring strategy in place, things fell quickly fell into place. Olsen is looking at March 12, 2023, as her tentative report date as the customer service representative on the Wise Ranger District. 

“Job Corps saved me,” Olsen said. “I had no passion. I was lost and felt that I didn’t have a purpose until I discovered fire and caught, as they say the ‘fire bug.’ Fire gave me a chance to be part of something bigger than myself—something that I had never experienced until Job Corps." 

She is thankful for everyone across the agency who have helped her get to where she is now. “I want to say thank you to every single person who reached out to me when they saw me struggling to reach my full potential,” says Olsen. “But I’d especially like to thank every individual who said, ‘Yes’ rather than ‘No’ along the way.” 

Along with completing important service work on national forests and grasslands, Job Corps creates a pipeline of trained, experienced, and diverse workers ready to step into entry level positions. Chief Randy Moore has established a goal for the Forest Service to hire at least 100 Job Corps graduates each year by Financial Year 2025. As these young people join the workforce, national forests and grasslands can help set them up for success by being provided housing, recruitment incentives and mentorships.

If you’d like to hire a Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate, reach out to a Civilian Conservation Center near you or contact Job Corps Program Coordinator Recruiter Cristina Newton-Schlesselman at cristina.newton-schlesselman@usda.gov.