Growing Richmond’s Next Generation of Green Infrastructure Workers

Apprentices from the program’s first cohort pose with their graduation certificates alongside Brian Scott, Nathan Burrell, and Kate Rivara from Groundwork RVA’s staff during the graduation ceremony in July 2026 at Six Points Innovation Center.

Groundwork RVA just wrapped up the first cohort of its Green Infrastructure & Arbor Care Apprenticeship, and we’re excited to celebrate what these six young people accomplished! Designed for 18–24-year-olds from Richmond communities facing barriers to employment, the apprenticeship gives participants hands-on experience with the trees, green infrastructure, and conservation work that help make our city cooler and greener.

Over the course of the program, apprentices learned about tree care and arboriculture, stormwater management, plant identification, invasive species, brownfield remediation, workplace safety, and more. They also got to put those skills into practice, from learning to safely operate a chainsaw with Groundwork RVA’s staff arborist to inspecting stormwater best management practices throughout the city. They even got to try tree climbing at Forest Hill Park and visit a job site to see professional arborists in action.

The apprentices directly supported Cool the City by helping to prepare for and host our volunteer tree-planting at Highland Grove this spring, and by joining the summer watering crew to care for newly planted trees. But the impact of the program goes beyond the trees they helped plant and maintain. As they’ve learned more about the benefits of trees and green infrastructure, the apprentices have started sharing that knowledge with their families and friends — and some have even requested trees for their own homes.

As Jade Alvarez shared, “I’m excited to use what I learned in construction, tools, and planting to help my family and friends with garden and small construction work they might need. I will also hopefully be able to use my plant knowledge in an educator job in the near future.”

That’s what makes this program such an exciting part of our work to Cool the City. We need more trees in Richmond, but we also need people with the skills to plant, protect, and care for them. By connecting young people from communities most impacted by urban heat with hands-on training and real-world green career experiences, Groundwork RVA is helping grow both Richmond’s tree canopy and the people who will care for it for years to come.

Apprentices uncover a gravestone at Evergreen Cemetery. Friends of East End and inactive cemetery staff from the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities gathered with the apprentices that day to share information about the communities laid to rest in East End and Evergreen Cemeteries, the efforts to restore the cemeteries, and their strategies for managing invasive species. 

During the Clean Water Certificate course, instructor Will McQuate shows the apprentices the features of a bioretention area at Luck's Field. 

Apprentices replant a section of Fulton Green Street and add pavers to formalize a social trail. 

Jocelyn Loce of Riverside Camps and Climbing prepares KJ Bolling for his ascent up a large red oak in Forest Hill Park.