Cannabis Workforce Initiative And Cornell University Offer Cannabis Education & Training In New York

With the launch of recreational marijuana sales in New York, a number of groups are seeking to educate future entrepreneurs.

A group that provides industry training is looking for residents who'd like to get educated and trained to take part in this potentially billion-dollar industry.

What’s It About?

Partially state-funded by the nonprofit Workforce Development Institute and Cornell University’s School of Industrial & Labor Relations, the New York State Cannabis Workforce Initiative (CWI) has trained about 250 people on the basics of the cannabis industry since this past fall, said David Serrano, CWI’s project manager and founder and chief of business development for Harvest 360 - a consulting firm for marijuana entrepreneurs.

CWI is using a two-pronged approach to cannabis education with expertise from Cornell and the Workforce Development Institute while Cornell is providing information about worker rights and employers’ legal responsibilities, reported Syracuse.com.

"I’m very grateful to live in a state where our elected officials see a need for this education, and address it in a way that no other state has ever addressed cannabis and the workforce,” Serrano said. “This, to me, is the delivery of workforce equity for folks that are coming from (...) communities negatively affected by the War on Drugs.”

Currently, the group offers a 15-hour training program that covers the basics of the marijuana industry for beginners, Serrano explained. The program, which is free to all New Yorkers, provides a glimpse of how the seed-to-sale supply chain works, elementary plant science and labor laws.

As reported by Syracuse.com, training is available via in-person classes, live online sessions and self-directed online courses, said Serrano who will start beginning a 10-week course via Zoom on Jan. 25.

“This isn’t an in-depth skills development course, this is an educational overview of the opportunities,” Serrano concluded. “That’s our mission: to illuminate the opportunities.”

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Photo: Courtesy Of Erik Lindgren On Unsplash