Page 22 - BusinessWest November 23, 2020

Growing a Job Market
Cannabis Industry Promises Workforce Opportunities
WBy Mark Morris
hen a new industry in Massachusetts reaches $1 billion in sales in only four years, it certainly gets people’s
attention.
The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC)
recently announced that, four years after legaliz- ing cannabis for adult recreational use, and only two years after the first retail shops opened, this
“Our focus wasn’t on the product itself; we wanted to identify the occupations that make the most sense so we can train people for those jobs.”
relatively new industry surpassed that $1 billion mark on Oct. 30.
“There are a lot of jobs that go along with
a billion dollars in industry activity,” said Jeff Hayden, vice president for Business and Com- munity Services at the Kittredge Center for Busi- ness and Workforce Development at Holyoke Community College (HCC).
Shortly after cannabis was legalized in the state, Hayden spoke with advo- cacy groups and business leaders in the industry, which led to establishing the Cannabis Education Center at HCC to provide training for in-demand occupations in the bur- geoning industry.
“Our focus wasn’t on the product itself; we wanted to identify the occupations that make the most sense so we can train people for those jobs,” Hayden said.
After completing a
core course to familiarize
students with the canna-
bis industry, more concentrated training is avail- able in four career tracks:
• Patient-service associates work behind the counter at a cannabis dispensary, interact with the public, answer technical questions, and pro- vide information to registered cannabis patients, as well as recreational customers;
• Culinary assistants prepare cannabis-
Jeff Hayden says the Cannabis Education Center was developed to train people for the hundreds of jobs being created in the industry locally.
infused products such as gummy candies and baked goods infused with cannabis;
• Extraction technicians work in a lab assist- ing production managers in extraction, purging,
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22 NOVEMBER 23, 2020
CANNABIS INDUSTRY
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Staff Photo