NOHVCC has announced a new partnership with the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center which has resulted in the establishment of an annual Great Trails Workshop to be held in Coeur d’Alene, ID.
These recurring workshops will provide Great Trails training for those who otherwise may not have the opportunity to participate in regional workshops. The Workforce Training Center is a branch of North Idaho College, offering lifelong-learning to increase the economic self-sufficiency, business productivity and quality of life for citizens in their community. These workshops will also receive support from the Idaho Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Vehicle Program.
The inaugural Great Trails workshop was held in 2014 in southern Idaho. Since then, NOHVCC has conducted more than a dozen of these workshops across the country. The workshops focus on the design, layout, construction, maintenance and management of sustainable Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) trails.
Hands-on field training is emphasized. Participants include trail managers, trail construction and maintenance supervisors and crews, engineering staff involved in trail planning, design, maintenance and construction, trail contractors, OHV club trail volunteers and other interested stakeholders.
The workshop series was created as a hands-on companion to “Great Trails: Providing Quality OHV Trails and Experiences,” which was published by NOHVCC in 2015. You can download a free copy of Great Trails or order a hard copy for $30 by visiting www.gt.nohvcc.org.
The first NIC workshop will take place May 8-10. The classroom portion of the workshop will be held at the Workforce Training Center in Post Falls, ID. The field portion of the workshop will be held on the Canfield Mountain Trail System on the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. The workshop will cost $695 per person for the full three-day workshop including lunch each day and transportation to and from field locations. Registration opens on April 1, but you can learn more now by visiting the Workforce Training Center course catalog at www.nic.edu/wtc/.
North Idaho College currently offers continuing education units (CEUs) for those who participate in any Great Trails Workshop across the country. Additionally, NOHVCC and NIC are in the process of incorporating the Great Trails skill set into the Idaho SkillStack Badging System. SkillStack is a searchable database that serves to document, assess and validate student skills using industry and disciplinary defined standards. Acquiring SkillStack badges will allow workshop participants to demonstrate the achievement of benchmarks related to providing quality OHV trails to current or potential employers.
Find out more by visiting www.skillstack.idaho.gov.
