Based on overwhelming interest, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Continuing Education Institute is pleased to announce the expansion of its cannabis-related certificates to include an Agriculture and Horticulture Certificate program.
Students will learn how to care for cannabis plants, study cannabis botany and genetics, and explore plant growth techniques during the innovative six-month certificate program. The certificate is offered in partnership with Green Flower, a national leader in cannabis education. UW-Platteville is the only state university to offer this type of opportunity, thanks to an exclusivity agreement.
"There are more available jobs in the agriculture and processing side of the industry than any other, and we see only continued growth moving forward," said Daniel Kalef, Green Flower Vice President of University Partnerships. "As the globally trusted source and leader for cannabis education, we are very confident that this new program will be very successful at UW-Platteville and will be a tremendous resource to prospective students throughout the Midwest and beyond. We are excited to see, even at this early stage, our partnership with UW-Platteville expand and grow and couldn't ask for a better partner."
Agriculture is a $104.8 billion industry in the state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The state passed an industrial hemp law in 2017 and issued 1,300 permits to grow and harvest hemp in 2019.
Thirty-three states now allow some forms of medicinal cannabis, while 11 have legalized recreational uses. Bordering states Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan have legalized cannabis in some form. Job growth is expected to increase across Wisconsin to meet the demands, with Green Flower reporting it has already seen a 400-percent increase in revenue and jobs over the past five years.
"The Cannabis Agriculture and Horticulture Certificate ensures graduates of the program will be perfectly positioned to take advantage of a growing industry in need of qualified, skilled employees," said Kerie Wedige, Continuing Education Institute Director. "Advocacy is not the goal of our cannabis certificate programs. Instead, we're focused on education. We believe these programs perfectly align with our mission of offering valuable, unique, and timely opportunities to the community.
The certificate programs are uniquely designed to quickly provide an on-ramp and prepare professionals to fill the companies' growing skills gap needs in the legalized cannabis industry.
Beginning in November, students will be able to enroll in the following cannabis certificate programs:
- Business of Cannabis
- Cannabis Agriculture and Horticulture
- Cannabis Law and Policy
- Cannabis Healthcare and Medicine
Each certificate program contains three eight-week courses, meaning it will take 24 weeks to earn the certificate. Courses are instructor-led in a 100% online format, based on the students' schedule. Courses are a mix of instructor-student, student-student, reading, and general discussion.
For more information on the UW-Platteville program, visit the website.