SHINGLETOWN, Calif. — In October’s chill, sunlight pierced through sugar pines in Shingletown, a nod to its historic logging roots. Along a gravel road, Dylan Knight paused from stacking logs. Knight, a student logger at Shasta College, trains on heavy equipment crucial for modern logging, such as processors and skidders. Although logging was once a seasonal family trade, climate change and industry advancements have made it a year-round necessity, creating a worker shortage.
“Our workforce was dying,” said Delbert Gannon, Creekside Logging’s owner. “It was affecting our production and our ability to haul logs. We felt we had to do something.”
Across the U.S., community colleges are launching apprenticeship programs for heritage industries like logging and aquaculture, which are too small to manage alone. These programs help colleges expand workforce development and aid small businesses by managing grants and providing training resources. The logging industry, with about 50,000 jobs in 2023, is shrinking as most loggers are over 50 and retiring, leaving 6,000 annual vacancies. The median salary for loggers stands at $50,000.
Gannon’s Creekside Logging faced severe retirements in 2018, with jobs and machines but no workers. A partnership with Shasta College, offering degrees in forestry and equipment operation, was born. This collaboration led to a pre-apprenticeship course and the California Registered Apprenticeship Forest Training program, funded by $3.5 million in grants.
Training occurs on Sierra Pacific Industries’ land, which relies on companies like Creekside Lumber to transport logs. Each semester, 10 student loggers, including Knight, join Shasta College’s pre-apprenticeship course. Most are employed upon completion and continue as apprentices in Shasta’s forest training program. State funds support employers by offsetting training costs and mentor productivity losses.
For Creekside Logging, a small 22-person company, partnering with Shasta makes training feasible. Previously, new loggers would often quit, costing tens of thousands in training. Now, Gannon benefits from a pipeline of committed employees trained at the college. Apprenticeships provide workers with real-world expectations, from working outdoors to operating heavy machinery.
Apprenticeships benefit workers unfamiliar with trades, offering a pathway into the field. Kyra Lierly, a former firefighter, struggled to enter logging due to informal job offers. “A lot of logging outfits are sketchy, and I wanted to work somewhere safe,” said Lierly, now interning at Sierra Pacific Industries and studying natural resources at Shasta College.
Apprenticeships, traditionally found in union halls, are gaining traction in logging, healthcare, and cybersecurity. Federal funding for apprenticeships rose from $145 million in 2018 to over $244 million under the Biden administration, supporting various sectors, including teaching and nursing.
Labor shortages, especially in rural areas, highlight the importance of apprenticeships. In Maine, a community college trains apprentices for heritage oyster farms facing worker shortages. Gabe Chlebowski, a former construction worker, completed an oyster farming apprenticeship and now works at Muscongus Bay Aquaculture.
Apprenticeships combine hands-on and classroom learning. Shasta College apprentices spend weekdays learning equipment operation and forestry. At the semester’s end, students demonstrate skills to logging companies, leading to job offers. So far, 50 students have completed pre-apprenticeships, and 15 have finished full apprenticeships, earning $40,000 to $90,000 annually.
Mentorship is central to apprenticeships, pairing new workers with experienced loggers. Jonas Lindblom, Shasta’s instructor, emphasizes learning without pressure. “They’re not pushed and can get comfortable in the machines,” he said.
Once Knight completes his apprenticeship, he plans to join his tribe’s new logging crew in Oroville, using his skills on challenging equipment. “This program is awesome,” said Knight. “You learn as you go and it helps to have a great instructor.”
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