Workforce Trainings

Build skills. Serve the ʻāina. Shape our future.

Tipu Tipu offers paid workforce training programs for high school and college students and community members who are ready to gain real-world conservation skills. Our trainings are designed to expand Maui’s restoration capacity while opening doors for the next generation of restoration and sustainability professionals.

About the program

Tipu Tipu’s workforce trainings provide hands-on, field-based learning experiences rooted in native Hawaiian restoration practices. Participants work alongside experienced conservation practitioners, gaining practical skills directly applicable to careers in environmental science, natural resource management, and  sustainability.

Trainings are offered in three specialized tracks, each including a data collection component:

1. Greenhouse & Nursery Care Learn native plant propagation, nursery management, and the cultivation practices that supply Maui’s restoration projects with healthy, locally grown plants.

2. Seed Collection & Seed Storage Develop skills in native Hawaiian seed collection, processing, and storage — critical work for the long-term preservation of Hawaiʻi’s plant biodiversity.

3. Restoration Best Practices Gain hands-on field experience implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs), invasive species removal, native plant establishment, irrigation, and watershed restoration techniques.

Each training track includes a data collection component, giving participants experience in scientific documentation and natural resource data management.

Skills you’ll develop

  • Restoration field work and Best Management Practices (BMPs)
  • Invasive species removal and native plant establishment
  • Greenhouse and nursery care
  • Seed farm care and seed collection
  • Irrigation systems maintenance
  • Data collection and natural resource management
  • Watershed science and ecology fundamentals
Noor Dphrepaulezz surveys the damage in the Tipu Tipu Restoration & Sustainability greenhouse

Program Details

Format Asynchronous, at your own pace
Stipend $500 per academic training track, dispursed upon completion
Eligibility High school students, University of Hawaiʻi students, and community members 17 years of age or older. Applicants must have access to reliable transportation to get to and from learning sites.

Students are encouraged to take more than one training track. Completing multiple trainings deepens your skills and strengthens your path toward a career in conservation.

FALL 2026 WORKFORCE TRAININGS

Nursery Care and Propagation

20 hours required at Tipu Tipu Nursery & Seed Farm and Restoration Sites.

Sign up below and start anytime to log in your hours.

Seed Collection & Seed Storage

20 hours required at Tipu Tipu Nursery & Seed Farm and Restoration Sites.

Sign up below and start anytime to log in your hours.

Restoration Best Practices

20 hours required at Tipu Tipu Nursery & Seed Farm and Restoration Sites.

Sign up below and start anytime to log in your hours.

Our Partners

Tipu Tipu’s workforce training programs are made possible through close collaboration with:

  • Maui Huliau Foundation — Partnering to bring meaningful conservation workforce training to underserved Hawaiian youth, creating pathways to careers in environmental stewardship.
  • University of Hawaiʻi Maui College (UHMC) — Providing sustainability and agriculture students with volunteer opportunities and workforce training connected to applied field learning.

    Who should apply?

    Tipu Tipu’s workforce trainings are open to:

    • High school students exploring sustainability and conservation careers
    • Recent high school graduates
    • Community members seeking hands-on environmental training
    • Students from partner programs at UHMC, Maui Huliau Foundation, and Kūlanihākoʻi High School

    No prior experience is required — just curiosity, commitment, and a willingness to learn outdoors.

      Tipu Tipu is committed to providing equitable opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to participate in conservation work. We especially encourage applications from Native Hawaiian youth and students from underserved communities.

      Tipu Tipu Internships and Workforce Training Sign Up

      Looking for paid professional development opportunities? Tipu Tipu offers paid internships and workforce training programs that give you hands-on experience in field restoration, native Hawaiian plant propagation, invasive species removal, and scientific data collection. Fill out the form to get started.

      Participantʻs Information

      All personal information received is used exclusively for the purposes of event sign up, communication, and with consent, email marketing. Tipu Tipu does not share or sell your data with anyone.
      Full legal Name(Required)
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      Please note that the minimum age requirement to participate with Tipu Tipu is 16 years old. Your date of birth will be used to determine your eligibility for participation.
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      Legal Guardianʻs Information

      If signing up on behalf of a minor, include the information of the minorʻs legal guardian below. Applications of minors without this information will be automatically rejected.
      Legal Guardianʻs Full Name
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      Emergency Contact

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      I am Interested in...

      Internship Sessions(Required)
      Please choose the internship opportunities you would like to participate in. All sessions will cover the same curriculum and will be located at the Tipu Tipu native Hawaiian plant nursery and seed farm location in Māʻalaea.
      Workforce Trainings(Required)
      Please choose the internship opportunities you would like to participate in - You may select all 3.
      Join the mailing list
      Jon the Tipu Tipu mailing list to receive emails about all our upcoming volunteer days, and educational opportunities

      Demographics (Optional and helps Tipu Tipu receive funding)

      In accordance with DEI, demographic information shared does not affect your ability to participate with Tipu Tipu in any way. Tipu Tipu collects this information so that we can track who our educational initiatives are reaching, and work to improve the diversity and quality of our programs.
      Are you a resident of the State of Hawaii?
      Highest level of education

      Release of Liability, Risk & Likeness

      This Release and Waiver of Liability (the "Release") is executed by the "Volunteer", in favor of Tipu Tipu Restoration and Sustainability (TIPU), and all respective affiliates, directors, officers, trustees, employees, sponsors, donors, volunteers and agents (collectively, the "Released Parties"). I, the Volunteer, desire to work as a volunteer for TIPU without compensation and engage in the activities related to being a volunteer. I understand that my activities may include but are not limited to the following: working at TIPU offices and worksites; working in or for TIPU operations; loading and unloading materials; traveling to and from work sites, towns, or cities; consuming food available or provided; outdoor programs which undertake rehabilitation, preservation and/or conservation projects; other related activities; and other volunteer activities ("Activities"). I, the Volunteer, understand that my Activities may include work that may be hazardous to me, including, but not limited to, exposure to loud noises, dust, sharp tools, heights, environmental and natural hazards such as wild and sea animals, mosquitoes, ticks or other parasites, rodent-borne diseases, and harmful flora such as poison ivy or poison oak, weather-related hazards, such as extreme heat, cold, wind, snow, elevation, ice, and/or rain that may make working conditions more difficult. These and other conditions may cause or worsen certain illnesses, especially if I do not wear protective equipment, am exposed for extended periods of time, or have a pre-existing immune system deficiency. I, the Volunteer, hereby freely, voluntarily and without duress execute this Release under the following terms: Release and Waiver. In consideration of and in order to be allowed to participate in the Activities, I, the Volunteer, do hereby release and forever discharge and hold harmless the Released Parties and their successors and assigns from any and all liability, claims, demands, costs and damages of any kind, whether arising from tort, contract or otherwise, which I or my heirs, assigns, next of kin or legal representatives may have or which may hereinafter accrue, arise from, or are in any way related to my Activities with any of the Released Parties, including but not limited to personal injury, bodily injury, illness, property damage, loss or death, whether caused wholly or in part by the simple negligence, fault or other misconduct of any of the Released Parties or of other volunteers, other than their intentional or grossly negligent conduct. I understand and acknowledge that by signing this Release I knowingly assume the risk of injury, harm, damage and loss associated with the Activities. I also understand that the Released Parties do not assume any responsibility for or obligation to provide financial assistance or other assistance, including but not limited to medical, health or disability insurance in the event of injury, illness, death or property damage. I understand and acknowledge that children under the age of 18 are not allowed on TIPU 's worksites. Consent to Transportation and Medical Treatment. I consent to the use of first aid treatment and the use of generic and over the counter medications and treatments as directed by manufacturer labels, whether administered by the Released Parties or first aid personnel. In an emergency, I understand the Released Parties may try to contact the individual listed below as an emergency contact. If an emergency contact cannot be reached promptly, I hereby authorize the Released Parties to act as an agent for me to consent to any examination, testing, x-rays, medical, dental or surgical treatment for me as advised by a physician, dentist or other health care provider. This includes, but is not limited to, my assessment, evaluation, medical care and treatment, anesthesia, hospitalization, or other health care treatment or procedure as advised by a physician, dentist or other health care provider. I also authorize the Released Parties to arrange for transportation of me as deemed necessary and appropriate in their discretion. I, the Volunteer, do hereby release, forever discharge and hold harmless the Released Parties from any liability, claim, demand, and action whatsoever brought by me or on my behalf which arises or may hereafter arise on account of any transportation, first aid, assessment, care, treatment, response or service rendered in connection with my Activities with any of the Released Parties. Insurance. I understand that, except as otherwise agreed to by the Released Parties in writing, the Released Parties are under no obligation to provide, carry or maintain health, medical, travel, disability or other insurance coverage for any Volunteer. Each Volunteer is expected and encouraged to obtain his or her own health, medical, travel, disability or other insurance coverage. I understand that I am and remain responsible for payment of such hospital, physician, ambulance, dental, medical or other services obtained for me or my child. I agree that the Released Parties do not assume any responsibility for the payment of such fees or expenses which may be incurred. If I have health insurance, l understand my personal health insurance is my primary coverage. Photographic/Recording Release. I hereby grant and convey unto the Released Parties all right, title and interest in any and all photographs and video/audio/electronic recordings of me, including as to my name, image and voice, made by or on behalf of any of the Released Parties during my Activities with the Released Parties, including, but not limited to, the right to use such materials for any purpose and to any royalties, proceeds or other benefits derived from them. I understand that I will not have any ownership interest in or to such photographs, images and/or recordings, I have not been provided or promised any compensation to me, and I hereby waive any rights, privileges or claims based on any right of publicity, privacy, ownership or any other rights arising, relating to or resulting from the photographs, images and/or recordings. Other. I expressly agree that this Release is intended to be as broad and inclusive as permitted by state law. I further agree that in the event any clause or provision of this Release is held invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such clause or provision shall not otherwise affect the remaining clauses or provisions of this Release, which shall continue to be enforceable. Further, a waiver of a right under this Release by a Released Party does not prevent the exercise of any other right. I have carefully considered my decision, the benefits and risks involved and hereby give my informed consent to participate in all volunteer Activities. I have read and understand this Release and Waiver of Liability, any questions of mine have been answered, and I voluntarily agree to the above provisions. It is my intent to bind my heirs, next of kin, assigns and legal representative. I have carefully considered my decision, the benefits and risks involved and hereby give my informed consent to participate in all volunteer activities. I have read and understand this Release and Waiver of Liability, any questions of mine have been answered, and I voluntarily agree to the above provisions. It is my intent to bind my heirs, next of kin, assigns and legal representative.
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