PHOENIX (AZFamily) — GateWay Community College will offer several cannabis certification programs starting Sept. 16.
Partnering with Green Flower, a cannabis education provider, there will be several nine-week programs where you can get certified in cultivation, retail specialties, cannabis extraction and product development.
GateWay President Amy Diaz and Green Flower CEO Max Simon said this certification will not just be offered to full- or part-time students, but to anyone interested in the industry.
“One of the beautiful things about the way Green Flower has created the program and the content is that it’s flexible, so I think if we learned anything by going through the pandemic, I think people want options; they want flexibility,” Diaz said.
“What we know is employers are increasingly looking to only hire people who have this type of professional cannabis training to get them started from day one and hit the ground running,” Simon said.
According to a report by Grandview Research, the cannabis industry in is expected to generate over $1.5 billion by the end of 2024.
Simon said the industry is rapidly growing both in Arizona and across the nation, and dispensaries are looking for educated employees to help meet the job demand.
“The cannabis industry is remarkably complex in its actuality, and that requires people to be very well trained if they want to get hired or play leadership roles or start their own businesses,” Simon said.
The programs are 100% online and can be done at your own pace. Diaz said each nine-week program is $750 and can be split up into payment options.
“They’re designed to fill the busy lives that people have, whether someone already has a full-time job and they only have time to do this on their own time,” Diaz said. “This is one where I think many people don’t think about as a legitimate career with a family-sustaining wage or a decent salary. They can make a decent salary and that they won’t go into debt by going through the training program, and they’ll be able to start making money right away.”
Monday is the first day registered students can start their nine-week programs.
The next start day is Oct. 7. If you or someone you know is interested in these certification programs, click/tap here.
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There will be several nine-week programs where students can get certified in cultivation, retail specialties, cannabis extraction and product development. Read More