Increasing Diversity in Environmental Careers
The Increasing Diversity in Environmental Careers (IDEC) program provides a unique college-to-careers pathway for underrepresented STEM college students, specifically, women, racial and ethnic minorities, or individuals with disabilities, who want to pursue a career in environmental and natural resources fields. Students receive a fellowship, mentorship, and paid internship during their academic journey.
IDEC is a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR), Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR).
Program Components:
- Fellowship: The IDEC fellowship provides students with a supportive community of peers, yearly academic scholarship, and professional development opportunities. Fellows work with the program manager who coordinates resources and helps students navigate challenges during their academic journey.
- Mentorship: Fellows connect with professionals in the field who share their experiences and provide support. The mentorship aims to enhance college success, encourage personal and professional development, and promote career advancement by pairing fellows with employees at one of the participating state agencies.
- Internship: Fellows learn more about environmental and natural resource career paths through paid full-time internship experiences with the MN DNR, MPCA, and BSWR. The IDEC program includes a first-year summer rotational at each of the three agencies and a second and third-year summer internship at one agency.
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Benefits
The IDEC program provides opportunities for participants to:
- Gain resources to support academic success
- Receive a yearly academic stipend
- Get hands-on experience through paid summer experiential learning and internships
- Learn more about environmental or natural resources careers
- Enhance personal and professional development
- Become a more competitive job applicant after graduation
Program Expectations
Fellows in the program are expected to:
- Attend an initial orientation before starting the program
- Attend in-person or virtual cohort meetings every other month during the academic school year
- Complete experiential learning and internships each summer between academic school years
- Commit to participating in the full program (see program timeline) [link to logistics page]
- Maintain an academic GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
Testimonial
“To me, the most beneficial thing about the IDEC program is the safe space for which it provides. I can explore different career and education opportunities free of judgment, while making friends with the cohort. It’s a way to meet and learn from a diverse group of people who are, at times, experiencing the same excitement and stress that you may be about entering the professional world.”
Partners
