GateWay Community College is partnering with a cannabis industry education company to bring new programs to its students.
Green Flower will offer several non-credit cannabis certificate programs at GateWay, focused on agriculture and horticulture, cannabis cultivation, retail and product development.
Green Flower CEO Max Simon said it’s part of an effort to meet a growing demand for skilled professionals in the field.
“Within the industry, there’s lots of employers that are looking for people who are well-trained and formal education hasn’t really existed in cannabis up until now," Simon said. "So these are a great way to develop the workforce of people who are clearly taking this seriously.”
He added the industry has seen remarkable growth in Arizona since recreational marijuana was legalized in 2020.
GateWay President Amy Diaz said as an educational entity, the college wants to make sure that people who are interested in working in the field have the right kinds of knowledge and skills that they need in order to serve the community.
"We want to make sure they understand the business side of working in the cannabis industry and working at a dispensary, but also the agricultural aspects and the kinds of things they might need to know from a bud tending and grower perspective," Diaz said.
The certificate programs are fully online, allowing students to study at their own pace.
Green Flower has a similar partnership with the University of Arizona, but GateWay will be its first community college partner in the state.
