A Choice Career: Parks and Recreation

PRPS is proud to announce that a career development video it has produced is featured in a national campaign to introduce high school and college students to parks and recreation as a viable career choice.

A Choice Career: Parks and Recreation offers an interview-driven, “real people, real stories,” approach to create a compelling, emotional appeal that expands viewers’ awareness and understanding of the diversity and viability of a meaningful and fulfilling career in parks and recreation—along with an invitation to connect interest with action.

PRPS partnered with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) to develop the national marketing plan to disseminate the video. 

Housed at nrpa.org/ChoiceCareer, the video is associated with complementary career development materials available to agencies and professionals nationwide. It is designed to be an integral component of seasonal staff orientations, new employee trainings, introductions to public recreation programs like family movie nights and teen programs, high school and public event presentations, and many other local opportunities that engage with the video’s prime audience.

The availability of this new national resource is both critical and timely. The challenges of a diminishing workforce in the parks and recreation profession are widely known and documented. Trends in society, competitive pressures from non-industry employers, changes in higher education, the rise of alternate preparatory programs, popular misperceptions, and other constraining issues have conflated to produce an unmet demand for a sufficient and competent workforce. And among a shrinking pool of high school graduates is a widespread lack of awareness among youth, parents, and guidance counselors of recreation and parks as a viable career choice. 

 “Our approach is to appeal to young people to showcase a variety of introductory avenues into the profession,” explained Tim Herd, PRPS CEO, who served as the Executive Producer of the project. “We wanted to show a diversity of people and roles and how such purpose-driven positions impact our communities, our health, our cities, our youth, and so much more.”

A Memo of Understanding formalized the collaboration between PRPS, NRPA, and AAPRA to develop the national marketing and promotion campaign. Other national and statewide contributors, such as The Academy of Leisure Sciences, and the State Affiliates of NRPA, are assisting in promoting the video through their memberships and networks.

A Choice Career is also accessed on prps.org/careers, where links can be found to the Pennsylvania colleges and universities that offer park, recreation, tourism, and related majors. All PRPS members are invited to view and download the video to use it in outreach to their park users and recreation participants, in high school presentations, and in many other creative ways to help build our profession’s future professionals.