Environmental Training Specialist

Jason White

I started my environmental training a number of years ago when I worked in visitor services at a zoo. Much of my practical learning has been on the job through several positions including Provincial Park interpreter, owner/operator of an environmental education company and tourism trainer for a provincial tourism council. The experience and knowledge gained along the way have led me to my present position. This is a great job for people who enjoy seeing the country and like human interaction.

As general manager of an ecotourism company I meet lots of different people and visit many rural areas of Canada. You need to be tenacious in this business while building lasting relationships with individuals, companies, organizations and government departments. Throughout my career, I have seen the importance of communication skills and as a result, I’ve focused on enhancing my ability to get the message across. The benefits of this focus show up when I present my ideas to groups or clients.

My twelve years of experience provide me with a broad range of employment potential. If you are interested in this career try looking for positions with consulting firms, training companies and community economic development agencies all across Canada. The Canadian perspective at the community level is changing from tourism to ecotourism. I keep current with the changes through my memberships in associations and international societies. I also rely on the Internet for on-line newsletters and networking with colleagues.

Face-to-face contact is the most valuable way to relate to people and I spend as much time as possible each day conversing with clients and staff in my office. The future of environmental training is bright with new possibilities in project development and increased community-based training initiatives. My personal career advancement is related to my ability to bring in contract work and set up training programs. As a general manager, this is my role, however, in the near future, I plan to get more directly involved with the delivery of tourism products.

This will give me the chance to do more tourism such as canoeing, kayaking and backcountry camping while I am teaching others. I have proven the adage "you have to invent your own future”. By being flexible and adaptable, while willing to take financial and personal risks, I have consistently gotten better at what I do. As I demonstrated more expertise to my customers I received more business in return. Take the motto " have a contract, will travel” and get started in environmental training. In my company, the majority of our work is done off-site in small communities anywhere in Canada and other countries including mainland Chile and Easter Island.

This means significant amounts of travel, usually concentrated in the spring and fall. Client and customer relations, researching new business opportunities, writing proposals and concept papers, managing ongoing projects and planning company growth are my most common daily activities. Communication skills are very important and our success depends upon building solid, trusting relationships with clients. Primarily we interact with economic development officers, government development agents, community futures corporations, funding agencies, town councils and First Nation’s people.

My greatest accomplishment is being part of a unique team of individuals who have taken this company from its first contract to its present status as an international training organization. I have been with this company from the beginning and I know our success is due to the high level of personal care we show our clients. We genuinely like to help people learn about the environment and through that learning improve their lives. We are also very proud that ecotourism encourages people to adopt the best practices for the environment.