Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program

Opportunity Through Golf

National Links Trust is dedicated to positively impacting local communities. Therefore, we are especially proud to have launched the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program in 2021. Through intern and caddie positions at the historic Langston Golf Course, this program provides adolescents and young adults in the local community with valuable job and life skills they need for future academic and employment success.

VARDAMAN PROGRAM DETAILS

National Links Trust’s Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program is a paid internship and caddie program held at Langston Golf Course in Washington, D.C. This program provides high school students in grades 9-12 with a unique opportunity to develop critical workforce skills, learn core golf knowledge, and gain real-world experience in golf course operations, hospitality, merchandising, and agronomy.

The internship program runs in one 7-week session over the summer months at Langston Golf Course. The caddie program, supported by the Western Golf Association, runs from late spring to early fall at Langston Golf Course. Caddies receive training, experience, and the opportunity to foster connections with community members for whom they caddie.

WHAT THE VARDAMAN PROGRAM PROVIDES

Through their experience in the Vardaman Program, interns and caddies are provided:

1. Paid training and experience with skills relevant inside and outside the golf industry.

2. Career opportunities at one of National Links Trust’s facilities in Washington, DC.

3. Pathway to scholarship programs including the Evans Scholars Program from the Western Golf Association.

4. Entry points to the golf industry, which is worth an estimated $84.1 billion and includes more than 2 million jobs.

In addition to these outcomes, interns and caddies are instilled with values - respect, responsibility, and integrity - and widely- applicable skills - interpersonal communication, collaboration, time management, adaptability, critical thinking, research and analysis, and receptiveness.

Application Requirements

Program Details

• Location: Langston Golf Course, Washington, D.C.

• Duration: 7 weeks (June 30 to August 15)

• Time Commitment: 4-hour paid shifts, five days a week

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be a current high school student entering grades 9-12.

• Must reside in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

• Must commit to participating for the full 7 weeks of the program.

• Must show an interest in learning golf course operations, building workforce skills, and contributing to a team environment. A short 50-100 word response is required.

• A GPA of 2.8 or above is preferred

By submitting this application, you are expressing your interest in being considered for one of the internship positions. Applications will be accepted from January 27 - March 7. The review team will check if applicants meet the requirements and hold Zoom interviews with eligible candidates between March 10 and March 21. Final decisions will be sent out by March 28.

If you have any questions please reach out to LaKiesha Watson at lwatson@nationallinkstrust.com or 240-678-9349.

Our First Evans Scholar

Butheyna Dahmani was our first Evans Scholar through the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program. The Evans Scholarship, a Western Golf Association initiative, is a full housing and tuition college grant offered to deserving caddies. Butheyna was eligible for the Scholarship through her participation in the Vardaman Program, and she will attend one of the Evans Program’s 24 partner universities nationwide this coming fall.  Butheyna, a current senior in high school, grew up with a single mom and, thanks to the Vardaman Program and Evans Scholarship, will be the first in her family to attend college.

“During my childhood, money was the biggest issue in the family,” she says. “Money was something my family worked hard to earn to keep the lights on and food on the table. The last priority they had was education, and I am beyond grateful to have been afforded the opportunity and blessing to have the chance to have my college tuition paid for from my experiences as [a Vardaman Program intern and caddie].”

BUILDING INCLUSIVE PATHWAYS

The U.S. economy will unfortunately leave millions of young adults behind. In lower income communities, this marginalization is especially profound. Employment opportunities are obviously key to better outcomes for these teens and young adults. A meaningful job for a young person in these communities leads to acquisition of work skills and development of a social and professional network that can translate into long term career success.

HONORING A LEGACY

Jack Vardaman was an extraordinary and generous man known for his philanthropy and support of community-focused initiatives through golf in Washington, DC. We are honored to be part of his enduring legacy.

“So many people in my generation learned the game from their parents…But we were lucky. There are tens of thousands, maybe millions, of kids out there today who don’t have that inheritance. What if we could just make that available, each one of us, to one or two kids? What a legacy that would be.”

-Jack Vardaman, when interviewed about his involvement with First Tee

To learn more of Mr. Vardaman’s legacy, please click this link: Jack Vardaman (1940--2020).

SUPPORTING THE VARDAMAN PROGRAM

Your support allows National Links Trust to undertake valuable community-focused initiatives like the Vardaman Program. Together, we can continue to build inclusive pathways and provide opportunity through golf.

If you would like to send a check in support of the Vardaman Program, please send with a note in the memo section to:

National Links Trust

PO Box 42097

5636 Connecticut Ave NW

Washington, DC 20015