The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) opened enrollment October 6 for the Sustainable Materials Careers Program (SMCP), a pilot scheduling six career-exploration events across the 2026-2027 academic year and offering students free seats in a foundational sustainable-materials course.

SMCP targets college students at launch, with the potential to engage high-school students in future cohorts. The pilot extends NERC's existing Emerging Professionals Program and slots its events into ReMA's national Recycling Jobs Day framework, which links students with careers across the recycled-materials supply chain.

What's in the pilot package?

• Six career-exploration events scheduled across the 2026-2027 academic year
• Tours of material-recovery facilities, recycling plants and downstream manufacturers
• Industry panels on entry-level and mid-career pathways in sustainable materials
• Free enrollment in NERC's Foundations of Sustainable Materials and Recycling course
• A sponsorship pathway for businesses and trade groups seeking to add cohorts

Six academic partners signed on at launch: MIT Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Rowan University Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Institute, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute, University of Southern Maine and Yale Office of Sustainability.

Why the timing?

NERC frames the launch around an 8% annual growth rate in green-jobs demand. LinkedIn's Global Green Skills Report, cited by the trade group, highlights a mismatch between sustainability-skill demand and a thin pipeline of graduates combining materials-science training with operating-floor experience. Institute of Sustainability Studies research flags similar gaps, with employers in waste, recycling and adjacent manufacturing reporting difficulty filling entry-level roles.

ReMA's Recycling Jobs Day anchors SMCP events to specific operating environments. The national program connects students with sortation, processing, manufacturing and brokerage roles across paper, metal, plastics and electronics streams — the same talent pool the pilot aims to recruit into.

What NERC says the program addresses

"Many students want to work in sustainability, but they rarely see the diverse career paths available across the materials lifecycle," said Megan Schulz-Fontes, NERC executive director. "By combining hands-on facility tours with foundational training, this program opens doors across every corner of the industry — including state and municipal governance, equipment and technology manufacturers, recycling infrastructure and corporate sustainability teams — ensuring the next generation is equipped to lead."

What sponsors underwrite

NERC is recruiting industry and organizational partners to scale the pilot beyond the inaugural six events and six campuses. Sponsors underwrite student training seats and facility-tour logistics. The October 6 release did not disclose tier pricing, target sponsorship revenue or any corporate partners already signed.

What to watch next

The pilot closes at the end of the 2026-2027 academic year. NERC has indicated it will measure enrollment, event participation and partner-driven expansion before deciding whether to onboard high-school students and additional academic partners.

The pilot does not include a credential or industry-recognized certification at launch. Participants receive a course-completion record rather than a certificate — a distinction employers will weigh against the mixed technical-operational skills they say they need.

ReMA's Recycling Jobs Day metrics will supply the next external benchmark on whether SMCP participants convert from training slots into paid recycled-materials industry roles. That outcome will determine whether the model attracts further academic and corporate partners in any future expansion.