January 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 50

N R P A T R E N D W AT C H 2 0 1 4

Representatives from seven companies participated in the workshop.
These included officers and senior
staff from Go Ape (Chris Swallow),
GreenPlay LLC (Chris Dropinski),
PlayCore (Bob Farnsworth), Playworld Systems (Ian Proud), the Toro
Company (Paula Sliefert), Waterplay
Solutions Corp. (Randy Flint) and
Wibit Sports (Robert Cirjak). Prior to
the Board retreat, each company was
invited to complete a survey designed
to elicit their thinking on what were

responded to Board questions. Afterward, all the industry reps joined with
the Board and senior NRPA staff for
table discussions on the trends, and
the discourse led to a number of takeaways and actionable steps.
Trendline: Human Capital
Human capital is the idea that one's
knowledge, skills, personal attributes,
creativity and more are combined in
the ability to perform a job that equates
to a measure of economic value. There

Remaining relevant is always the challenge, but
the pressures to anticipate, plan and deliver are
considerably greater than they have ever been before.
the most important emerging trends
affecting parks and recreation at large,
and to identify key trends affecting
individual professionals in their jobs.
Additionally, preliminary questions
to the industry reps focused on what
NRPA needs to be thinking about in
order to achieve our goals and what
NRPA agencies should be doing to
be ready for coming challenges. Condensing the responses, the Board requested that the retreat discussion focus on five key trends identified by the
industry respondents:
1. Human Capital
2. Green Infrastructure
3. The Societal Piece
4. The New Narrative/Reframing
Our Proposition
5. The Economic Forecast
Each participant was asked to
identify how important or urgent
each trend was, what steps member
agencies and the national association
could take to respond, and the single
most innovative step we could take
to anticipate or respond to the trend.
Each industry representative made an
individual presentation, and then all

Parks & Recreation

is a better understanding emerging
within the park and recreation industry of what defines the human-capital
needs of the field and what those professionals look like now and in the future. The human-capital needs for public parks and recreation are changing
dramatically. While traditional roles,
job classifications and employment
types still predominate, new models
are emerging rapidly, which sometimes provide fewer benefits and less
security for workers and can require
greater flexibility in job skills, training
and education. There was clear consensus that we must be very attuned to
the trends that are shaping public- and
private-sector employment opportunities in parks and recreation. We need
to know and better define what makes
a park and recreation professional;
what skills, knowledge and abilities
are needed to pursue a career in the
field; and the assets these professionals will need to have.
With general-fund support for
public-sector budgets becoming ever
tighter, consolidations and other influences on the composition of " tra-

| J A N UA R Y 2 0 1 4 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

ditional " park and recreation professionals will require employees to
have business acumen and skill sets
under their belts beyond the present
traditional expectations for revenue
building, fundraising and marketing.
A new understanding of the range of
human-capital needs will be necessary, especially a better understanding of the role of contractual, seasonal and private-sector employees.
What skill sets, training and professional development will these employees need, and how will they be
delivered? What will be the standards
for top-notch public service?
From a national perspective, skills
development and training will be critical for young adults. NRPA's three
pillars offer a sound framework for
needed professional development and
training that will well prepare those
entering the job market to meet critical national priorities. Agency and
university training and educational
offerings must be reflective of the hybrid nature of new employment categories and needs for business acumen
and skills. Equally, training and skills
development for midcareer professionals will be vital to bridge succession gaps created by the exodus of
the largest cohort of professionals
presently employed in the field: baby
boomers quickly departing their positions due to retirement.
On the local and agency level, human-capital development will also
focus on young adults, young professionals and succession-planning needs.
Cross-training, intergovernmental loans
and individual career-planning programs will help young professionals
broaden skill sets and gain valuable experience. Continuous development of
communication skills, proficiency with
all types of media and deeper marketing skills will be critical for all levels of
employees. New hybrid management
structures, such as " P3 " public-private

January 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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