The NALP Foundation hosted its 3rd World of Landscape series from Nov. 14-18. This weeklong event featured professional careers in the landscape profession to middle and high schools across the country.
“It’s all about showing students careers in general,” says Pam Moore, director of foundation operations for NALP. “We want the students to get excited about the industry. We’re trying to show them there are all kinds of professional jobs. There’s accounting, there are also business owners and managers, team leaders, scientists and so much more. There are just so many different opportunities in the industry than they can think of.”
These sessions help build awareness about the variety of careers in the landscape industry. The sessions are hosted on Pathful Connect (previously NEPRIS). They are held live and recorded and then reside in the Pathful library where educators can browse, check out and present previously recorded chats to their students.
135,000+ educators and 1,500,000+ students use Pathful to virtually transport industry experts into every classroom. This year’s World of Landscape reached 861 students. The presentations included:
- Choose Your Own Adventure, Landscape Edition! – Corey Petersen with Pacific Landscape Management spoke to students about why they should consider a career in the landscape industry, what different paths were available and where to get started.
- GROW! Don’t Just Bloom – Forrest Oliver with Landscape Workshop delved into what challenges you can face in the industry and how to overcome them. He also covered why students should work for a corporation instead of starting their own business in the industry.
- Careers in Landscaping: There’s more than just cutting grass… – Lauren Mocettini with LandCare covered a day in the life of a professional landscape account manager as well as what skills and knowledge are required for the position.
- Beyond the Hedge – Tools for Success – Matthew Ridgway with Landscape Workshop discussed the different tools and equipment that make a difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of landscaping.
- Growing Up Green – Adam Ledger with Landscape Workshop shared with students how his education helped in the industry and how he advanced from being on a crew to a general manager.
- My Journey in the Green Industry – Kevin Battistoni with Hunter Industries explained the technology-driven products entering the industry and how students can decide what line of business they should follow in the landscape industry.
The next event, Benefits of Healthy Landscapes, will be held virtually from March 20-24, 2023. The event will center around how landscapes and features are important because they contribute significantly to our well-being and quality of life, both mentally and physically – as well as environmentally through cooler temperatures, erosion issues, noise pollution, air quality and water conservation.
Although the Foundation schedules these events twice a year, presenters on the platform can set up their own sessions and present to high school students virtually any time and on their own schedule during the school year.
