Paid on-the-job training and education creates accelerated career path to meet LandVest’s workforce needs
Concord, N.H. (April 20, 2026) – ApprenticeshipNH, a workforce training program of the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH), LandVest, a national leader in integrated real estate, land investment, and forest management services, have partnered to create a new Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) to meet growing workforce needs for LandVest’s Forest Management division. LandVest is the largest broker of institutional timberland in the U.S. and the second-largest forestry service provider in the nation. NHTI-Concord’s Community College, White Mountains Community College (WMCC) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) will support the program through coursework connected with work-based learning.
The 12-to-18-month RAP combines 2,000 hours of paid, on-the-job training as a Forest and Conservation Specialist at LandVest with a minimum of 144 hours of related coursework at NHTI, WMCC and UNH. Apprentices who successfully complete both the academic and workforce components will be invited to apply for full-time positions with LandVest’s Forest Resources division based in Concord, N.H.
“LandVest had specific requirements for the education they needed for their employees. Working together, we built a curriculum that was tailored to those needs across New Hampshire’s public higher education system,” commented Delilah Smith, hub developer at ApprenticeshipNH.
ApprenticeshipNH collaborated with LandVest to develop the apprenticeship, secure approval from the U.S. Department of Labor, and coordinate coursework with CCSNH and UNH. LandVest covers the cost of tuition and materials for an introductory course in dendrology (tree identification) at WMCC. The percentage of LandVest’s contribution for subsequent classes, including those at NHTI and UNH, depends on the grades received in each prior class.
“There has been a mismatch between what colleges were teaching and what we needed employees to know, so we were retraining graduates. Through this apprenticeship, we can ensure that employees have the skills and knowledge that we need, while also opening opportunities to a much bigger applicant pool. An apprenticeship where you are paid from day one is a great launching pad to a good career,” said Steven Hawkes, vice president of LandVest’s Forest Resources division.
According to Hawkes, a single presentation by ApprenticeshipNH and Doug Cullen, workforce development manager at New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, convinced him that an RAP was the best way for LandVest to expand its labor pool and create a skilled workforce for its Forest Resources division. Working with ApprenticeshipNH, LandVest began the process to establish the RAP in October 2025 and had all necessary approvals just three months later. The company will be accepting applications to the program until May 1 and anticipates bringing its first apprentices on board in early July.
