Dearborn, Mich., March 7, 2023 - With nearly half (48%) of young Americans expressing uncertainty in their future career paths*, Carhartt today launched a public awareness campaign that proposes an alternative, purpose-driven workspace for the next generation: America’s national parks.

In partnership with the National Park Foundation (NPF), “Outdoor Office” is a new public awareness campaign that spotlights service corps job opportunities that preserve and protect national parks for present and future generations. “Outdoor Office” will expand awareness of opportunities to join a service corps and gain valuable work experience that contributes to the National Park Service’s (NPS) ability to maintain parks and to improve visitor experience. With service corps projects in need of hundreds of individuals this summer, the campaign comes to life in a series of new out-of-home billboards that showcase familiar “office job” settings, set to the backdrop of America’s stunning national parks. Notably, advertising creative was inspired by a new Carhartt study that discovered about half (48%) of Gen Z and Millennials would prefer to work outdoors in lieu of a traditional office job.

“For generations, Carhartt has existed to support all hardworking people and inspire them to make it happen – for themselves, for their family and for the world around us,” said Linda Hubbard, president and COO at Carhartt. “As younger generations feel uncertain about selecting career paths, Carhartt wants to be a leading voice in helping them realize possibilities. Through the service corps, they can learn in-demand career skills, find a job that is rewarding and aligns with their values and support the national parks.”

The demand for service corps crew members comes during a key reflection point for the nation’s young workforce and as Gen Z and Millennials break the mold from traditional career paths. Carhartt’s study found that 85% of Gen Z and Millennials are at least somewhat open to a job in nature conservation or the outdoors, and 44% of respondents identified “finding a job that aligns with my values” as a top challenge in today’s job market. Carhartt, a proud partner of NPF’s Communities and Workforce initiative, erected billboards in Detroit, Seattle, Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia to reach young workers who have a passion for the outdoors and are looking for summer job opportunities.

“Through service corps, the National Park Foundation and its partners – including Carhartt – are introducing a new generation to America’s national parks, and to careers supporting parks and public lands,” said Lise Aangeenbrug, chief program officer at the National Park Foundation. “Service corps instill the skills and a sense of community that can inspire young people to deepen their environmental and cultural stewardship and connection with national parks.”

Bound by a shared passion for the outdoors, Carhartt and NPF’s multi-year partnership strives to spotlight the increasingly important role of service corps members play in helping build a workforce of conservation professionals dedicated to protecting the national parks, lifting up communities and learning in-demand job skills training.

Other key findings from Carhartt’s Feb. 2023 survey that underscore why a job with the service corps aligns with the viewpoints of younger generations include:

• Younger generations find faults with traditional office jobs: The lack of physical mobility from having to sit at a desk for 8 hours was by far the top perceived pain point of working in a traditional office environment for 46% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents. The lack of fresh air (24%) and the lack of adventure (24%) were also listed in the top four pain points.
• More Gen Z and Millennials are open to vocational and technical education: 3 in 4 (76%) Gen Z and Millennials agree that more young Americans should consider a vocational and technical education over a 4-year college degree.
• All generations agreed having more young people in nature conservation or the outdoors workforce would have a positive impact on society: 87% of all respondents said they would feel more optimistic about the future and 91% felt it would benefit society. Simultaneously, four in five (80%) Gen Z and Millennials felt that such opportunities would be beneficial to their career, with more than half saying it would be “extremely” or “very” beneficial.

Those interested in service corps projects and other opportunities across national parks can visit to www.carhartt.com/NPF to learn more.

*Survey Methodology

Carhartt conducted an online survey among n = 1027 Gen Z (aged 18-26) and Millennial (aged 27-44) U.S. adults and n = 1027 U.S. adults aged 18+ (nationally representative sample). The survey was conducted between January 24th and February 1st and has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

About Carhartt

Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium workwear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged products for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, with approximately 5,400 employees worldwide, Carhartt is family-owned and managed by the descendants of the company’s founder, Hamilton Carhartt. For more information, visit www.carhartt.com.