Indianapolis Zoo

The Indianapolis Zoo will create a Life Sciences Training Program for keepers in an effort to increase staff diversity. It will offer two two-year paid positions for college graduates to experience and learn about the care of collections from animal or horticultural staff. The new paid positions will help the zoo reach candidates who otherwise would not be able to participate in the zoo's traditional unpaid internships. The pre-requisite for the training program is the completion of a paid 12-week apprenticeship program offered to college seniors, graduate students, or recent graduates. The zoo will use various recruitment methods and will target national colleges with strong racial diversity. The training program is not only a strategy to increase staff diversity, but it will also provide an improved, well-rounded training program for zoo staff to ensure the chances of success and retention.