32 The Mainline Workforce, Human Resources, Labor Effectively stewarding our shared forest resource means applying diverse management strategies to realize a mosaic of outcomes across the landscape. Diverse strategies call for diverse training. Shasta College is honored to do its part. Shasta College’s Heavy Equipment Logging Operations (HELO) program focuses on building a foundational skillset required for safely operating purpose-built logging equipment while expanding students’ perspective to ensure their understanding of the impact their work has on the landscape. Since its launch in Fall 2019, HELO faculty and staff have taken every opportunity to reflect on and revise its forest operations training. By consistently soliciting and implementing feedback from employer partners, Shasta College has refined its original two semester certificate program into a single semester, academy-style cohort training model. HELO provides 10 students each semester over 400 hours of progressively intensive operator training on full-scale mechanized logging equipment. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays will find students learning on 74,000 acres of Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) forestland just outside Redding, California. Students participate in forestry-related and job-readiness classroom instruction Tuesday and Thursday of each week. Operating hours teach students the HOW. Their Introduction to Forest Operations helps them understand the WHY behind responsible implementation of Timber Harvest Plans (THPs), Vegetation Management Plans (VMPs), and similar prescriptions in California. At the end of each semester, HELO and California Registered Apprenticeship for Forest Training (CRAFT) co-host a student skills showcase. Employer partners observe students on each piece of equipment and have the opportunity to engage with them individually. This skillsbased demonstration of the curriculum’s success continues to provide industry stakeholders with opportunities to provide feedback and directly participate in the refinement and improvement of our training. As a California Community College, our mission includes providing equitable access across diverse and non-traditional student populations. Women, veterans, and justice-involved learners have all successfully completed HELO and are putting their skills to use, maximizing their earning potential and finding fulfillment in contributing to responsible stewardship of our forested landscapes. HELO enjoys full cohorts with waitlists. The Spring 2023 cohort boasted a 100% job placement while the Fall 2023 cohort is anticipated to achieve similar success once logging season ramps back up in our region. The implementation of HELO has been made possible by three grants spanning an Training Effective Stewards of Our Forests ›By Becky Roe, Director of Forest Health at Shasta College
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