RPD University

A commitment to learning

You are here: Home / Workforce Programs

Workforce Programs


As an organization, our greatest resource is our people. We specifically hire skilled and dedicated workers to build a strong foundation for our Department’s high performance culture to grow and thrive. However, recruiting great people is just the start! Once you have joined our professional family, we give you a reason to continue striving to create the best park and recreation system in the nation. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department has created a number of workforce programs that focus on maintaining an organizational culture and climate that promotes opportunities for all, recognizes the hard work of our employees, reinforces our shared strategic values, creates a pipeline to develop our future workforce, increases employee morale and engagement, and forges a healthy, happy workforce.

Workforce Development

Workforce Development

We support a number of different Workforce Development Programs, including... Gardener Apprentice Program (RPD-Local 261 Joint Partnership) If work on the horticultural-side of our Parks & Open Spaces Division and would like a request that the Gardener Apprenticeship complete a horticultural project in your area, please complete this request form. ...
Read More
Wellness Network

Wellness Network

Check out the calendar below for an ongoing list of Wellness events. You can use the filter to search for specific events or features like  "Yoga" or "Zoom". A variety of events are now offered digitally. SFHSS Events Calendar: https://sfhss.org/events  You spend over 50% of your time at work, so ...
Read More
Photo of Rs at Dolores Park

Employee Recognition

Check out the infographic overview of our program. *Note: The link works best in an updated web browser like Chrome or Firefox, and should be viewed in "presentation mode." Check the spreadsheet here for the full list of RPD Gratitude that folks gave out from the Department's first ever virtual Town Hall ...
Read More
Equity Work

Equity Work

Diversity and Inclusion Committee on Equity (DICE) The Diversity and Inclusion Committee on Equity (DICE) was formed in April 2018 and is comprised of staff from the department who reflect a wide cross section of job types and experiences. The goal of DICE is to proactively eliminate racial inequities and ...
Read More

GM Message

GM, Phil Ginsburg

“RPD University is our commitment to giving our team the tools and training we need to grow professionally, to keep current with best practices and new thinking, and to remain innovative and responsive as we serve the public. RPD-U provides skill development for our workforce to succeed and opportunities for personal growth. When each of us is exposed to different thinking and new ideas, we gain competence, perspective, and judgment—so that all of us benefit. I hope these learning opportunities and programs inspire and connect us to our profession, to each other, and to the park users we serve.”
— General Manager Phil Ginsburg

About RPD-U

Team RPD
The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department is responsible for over 220 of the best parks and recreation centers in the nation. Given that we have locations all across San Francisco, we are a very geographically dispersed workforce. That's where RPD-U comes into play!