Page 35 - BusinessWest March 7, 2022

Extracting a Workforce
Cannabis Programs at HCC, AIC Continue to Meet Industry Needs
By Joseph Bednar
The cannabis industry — and workforce — has come a long way in just a few years, Jeff Hayden says.
“What I think is really crucial, and what we’re trying to emphasize to job seekers, is that this is a business. This is not like going to somebody’s basement and growing a couple of plants. We’re talking about a multi-million-dollar investment
“This is not like going to somebody’s basement and growing a couple of plants. We’re talking about a multi-million- dollar investment for some of these companies.”
for some of these companies,” said Hayden, vice president of Business and Community Services at Holyoke Community College (HCC).
In that city alone, for instance, entire mill buildings have been renovated and brought back to life, bringing jobs to the community and tax dollars to city coffers, he noted.
“This is a business where they’re generat- ing private investment, creating new jobs, and
they’re also generating tax revenue. It’s been a win for Holyoke in terms of the amount of growth that’s been stimulated.”
To keep the momentum going, these new companies need employees, which is
why HCC launched its Can- nabis Education Center in
2020, a series of non-credit courses, in conjunction with
the Cannabis Community
Care and Research Network,
that provide skilled work-
force training to prepare par- ticipants for a career in the cannabis industry. By this
spring, 120 people will have completed the core program,
and many will have begun or completed another career- specific track (more on that later).
The conversation about a cannabis training program at HCC began when legal adult-use cannabis was still being debated in the Bay State. If that came to pass, Hayden and others expect- ed, significant workforce needs would follow. And that has proven to be true.
Susanne Swanker says cannabis programs at AIC are being constantly reviewed and updated to remain current and relevant
Similar discussions were happening at Ameri- can International College (AIC) when adult-use cannabis was legalized, which is why it launched,
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The Master’s in Cannabis Science and Commerce at American International College is designed for students interested in a career in the cannabis industry. Faculty and industry experts offer real-world education, teaching interesting courses which are accessible to all students with a bachelor’s degree.
Learn more at:
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MARCH 7, 2022 35
Staff Photo