How Green Career Week Continues to Cultivate an Industry Workforce
October 19, 2023 Since the inaugural Green Career Week in 2022, more than 500 industry professionals have downloaded Seed Your Future’s toolkit. Many of those professionals have connected with students and educators in their communities.
During this year’s Fall Career Week, participating businesses showcased the power and importance of coming together to build tomorrow’s workforce by forging connections in their communities to foster mentorships, internships, and future employees.
“Participating is simple, and the more businesses that participate, the more attention we can bring to careers in the plant science industries,” says Seed Your Future Executive Director Jazmin Albarran. When people take part, it “sets an example for others” to go out into their communities and teach students, educators and parents about the opportunities in the green workforce.
To increase visibility for Green Career Week, 16 national and regional interviews were conducted by Albarran, as well as representatives from Longwood Gardens and Ball Horticultural Company, Green Career Week’s largest sponsors. The visibility helped spread the word about the benefits, variety, and value of green careers. In total, the interviews generated more than 100 press placements across the U.S., reaching an audience of over two million at an advertising value of more than $10,000.
Some examples of how businesses participated in the Fall 2023 Green Career Week include:
- Ball Horticultural Company employees visited three horticulture classes to speak with students at the West Chicago High School about careers in the industry located around a few blocks away from the school.
- Tillies Flower Shop in Wichita, KS, highlighted several of the many professionals behind their great flowers, like their marketing intern.
- Metrolina Greenhouses, one the of largest greenhouses in the world, invited 80 educators to their site in Huntersville, NC, gave them a sneak peek into their grower job functions, and told them about their IT Infrastructure Team.
- GreenWeaver Landscapes, located in Lenni, PA, created a bilingual video.
- Smith Gardens Inc. in the Pacific Northwest had managers and growers share their passion of the horticultural industry with K-University students.
- AmericanHort did a series of interviews with industry community connectors to discuss the diverse opportunities available in all segments of the green industry.
- Shonnard’s Nursery, Florists and Landscape of Corvallis, OR, showed how they appreciate staff and relayed their hopes for the horticulture industry on YouTube.
The Spring Green Career Week is scheduled for March 4-8, 2024.
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