Are you a young adult looking to join the historic trades? Looking to start a career with the National Park Service? Applications are open now for HPTC’s Aspiring Preservationist Programs.
The Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) is a 26-week program for young adults, ages 18-30 (up to 35 for veterans) interested in gaining hands-on preservation experience. Since 2018, TTAP has placed aspiring preservationists at national parks nationwide to preserve cultural resources and crucial infrastructure. Trainees receive project-based opportunities to learn carpentry, woodcrafting, finishing, masonry, metalworking, and window restoration while working, learning, and earning alongside professional NPS staff.
- Applicants must be 18 – 30 years of age, or 18 – 35 years of age for US veterans.
- No prior experience required.
- $18/ hour
- Participants work 40 hours per week for 26 weeks.
- Positions are available across the country at different National Parks.
- Positions open seasonally.
TTAP participants have:
- repaired historic window sashes,
- replaced perimeter capstones on a revolutionary era fort,
- removed old mortar and pointed walls,
- stabilized historic barn foundations,
- waxed and treated bronze monuments,
- restored historic viewsheds, and more!
Positions for the 2024 TTAP spring/summer season:
- Tumacácori National Historical Park
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore
- Minute Man National Historical Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Colorado National Monument
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This year is the first year for the TTAP Landscape Stewardship Corps. All the requirements & benefits are the same as listed above. These participants will gain a foundation for a career in historic landscape preservation by receiving on-the-job training in trades, such as: horticulture, arboriculture, forestry, trail management, landscape masonry and metalwork, cemetery management, and more!
Positions for the 2024 TTAP Landscape Stewardship Corps spring/summer season:
- Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites
- President’s Park (White House)
- Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument
- Yosemite National Park
- John Muir National Historic Site
- Independence National Historical Park
- Weir Farm National Historic Site
- Andersonville National Historic Site
- Rock Creek Park
- Eisenhower National Historic Site
- Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
- Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
- Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
- Hot Springs National Park
- Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
- Hampton National Historic Site
- Longfellow National Historic Site
** TTAP Member Spotlight **
Carolyn Fedricci participated in TTAP from July – Dec 2023 at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington. She worked on some of the buildings within the reconstructed fort before focusing on the historic army barracks outside of it. She recently shared her experience with The Campaign.
What did a typical day look like?
“My typical day would begin with me arriving at the shop and meeting up with my mentor to gather the necessary tools for our daily tasks. Then, we would proceed to the designated work location. Our work schedule was comprised of 8-hour shifts, which included 2 breaks and a lunch break. At the end of each day, we would take some time to tidy up the worksite before heading back home. On Fridays, we would disassemble the worksite and either transport it back to the shop or move it out of public view.”
What was your favorite part of the job?
“One of my favorite things about the job was the wide variety of projects we worked on, and the relationships I was able to build with the park staff. I felt like I gained a lot of knowledge and experience in park maintenance and preservation by seeing many different aspects of the job.”
What’s the coolest project you’ve worked on?
“I had the opportunity to work on preserving the carpenter shop in Fort Vancouver, which involved repairing the windows, doors, trim, and chinking. One of my favorite tasks was learning how to reglaze windows.”
What are you planning to do in your next career?
“I have received a position with HPTC working in historic preservation! I will hopefully be able to make a career out of it and continue learning while doing more preservation work.”
What advice would you give someone interested in TTAP?
“My advice would be not to hesitate or worry about pulling the trigger and applying. I have met many lovely people who only want the best for my future. It is nerve-racking to take an internship away from home, but the experience is well worth it.”
To learn more about HPTC internship opportunities:
Please sign up for one of the upcoming Zoom Expos here or email hptc_learning@nps.gov.
Ready to apply?
You can view active applications here: https://historictrades.org/national-park-service/
(Check back frequently to view new openings. Application deadlines vary for each position.)