https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/booming-marijuana-companies-struggling-to-find-skilled-workers
[h=1]Booming marijuana companies struggling to find skilled workers[/h]As Canadian cannabis companies busily expand and go on hiring sprees ahead of the drug’s legalization the fall, industry insiders warn of a skills shortage plaguing the emerging sector.
There are already 115 licensed producers approved to grow cannabis – the bulk of them in Ontario and British Columbia – with another 588 applicants awaiting authorization, Health Canada statistics show.
The industry could add as many as 150,000 jobs over the next few years, according to a recent estimate. A quick browse of the job site Indeed.ca shows more than 500 full-time marijuana jobs. The positions range from entry-level positions like bud trimmer and retail-store workers to executive roles like director of international expansion and construction for Canopy Growth, the country’s largest cannabis company.
But because the cannabis industry is so new – Canada is one of a handful of countries to legalize it medically and the second to approve its recreational use – many companies are struggling to find people with the right skills, says the head of an industry consulting firm.
“You’ve got this booming sector. Ideally you’d love to find people with experience, but you can’t anymore, it’s too hard to find,” said Brian Wagner, the chief executive of Cannabis Compliance, which advises on marijuana production and retail licences.
“It’s a really tough spot,” he said, comparing the struggle to the artificial-intelligence industry’s effort to find qualified employees.
The head of a cannabis industry umbrella group echoed Wagner’s concern.
“Staffing at almost every level of cultivation is a challenge,” said Allan Rewak of the Cannabis Council of Canada, an industry group representing some of the country’s largest marijuana producers including Canopy, Tilray and Aurora.
“But we’re getting there,” he said, noting the industry is drawing top talent with backgrounds in the pharmaceutical and alcohol sectors.
Individuals with experience under the federal system that allows medicinal marijuana patients to grow cannabis themselves or appoint someone to do it, as well as former illicit growers, are also being tapped, Rewak said.
Wagner said the hardest job to find qualified applicants to fill – and one of the most crucial positions for pot producers – is for master growers, the person responsible for overseeing all aspects of cultivation.
Tasked with managing everything from seeding and germination to feeding and harvesting, a master grower need an extensive knowledge of things like temperature, humidity, lighting, plant diseases and controlling insects.
In London, licensed producer Indiva managed a rare feat: recruiting a master grower with decades of experience.
Prior to joining the publicly traded company, Pete Young spent 30 years supplying medical marijuana to members of the London Compassion Society.
“He’s been doing this since he was young, mastering lighting, hydroponics, genetics, seed generation, so we’ve been able to capitalize on his years of experience,” Indiva’s chief financial officer, Jennifer Welsh, said of Young.
Indiva will double its staff of 25 in the next nine months as the company adds eight more grow rooms, an extraction facility and lab space, said Welsh, who previously worked at a gold exploration company.
“We certainly get a lot of interest from our postings,” Welsh said, adding it’s not uncommon to get more than 100 applicants within the first week of posting a position.
“Two or three years of experience in a licensed producer is a lifetime for most people. You don’t have people with 20 years of experience that you’re bringing in. So sometimes you have to be a little bit creative to pull out what a person’s skill set is and how you can use it in this industry.”
Rewak says education offers a solution to the looming skill shortage, noting colleges and even some universities are adding cannabis courses and programs.
More than a half-dozen colleges offer diplomas in cannabis cultivation, while a handful of universities have introduced courses in cannabis business and law.
“That will generate the next generation of executives and leaders in this growing and ever-expanding sector,” Rewak said.
............................
wtf is going on at Canopy....
3 months daily
CEO B Linton;
[h=1]Canopy Growth CEO: We're not the Amazon or Google of pot yet, but we want to be[/h]
[h=1]Booming marijuana companies struggling to find skilled workers[/h]As Canadian cannabis companies busily expand and go on hiring sprees ahead of the drug’s legalization the fall, industry insiders warn of a skills shortage plaguing the emerging sector.
There are already 115 licensed producers approved to grow cannabis – the bulk of them in Ontario and British Columbia – with another 588 applicants awaiting authorization, Health Canada statistics show.
The industry could add as many as 150,000 jobs over the next few years, according to a recent estimate. A quick browse of the job site Indeed.ca shows more than 500 full-time marijuana jobs. The positions range from entry-level positions like bud trimmer and retail-store workers to executive roles like director of international expansion and construction for Canopy Growth, the country’s largest cannabis company.
But because the cannabis industry is so new – Canada is one of a handful of countries to legalize it medically and the second to approve its recreational use – many companies are struggling to find people with the right skills, says the head of an industry consulting firm.
“You’ve got this booming sector. Ideally you’d love to find people with experience, but you can’t anymore, it’s too hard to find,” said Brian Wagner, the chief executive of Cannabis Compliance, which advises on marijuana production and retail licences.
“It’s a really tough spot,” he said, comparing the struggle to the artificial-intelligence industry’s effort to find qualified employees.
The head of a cannabis industry umbrella group echoed Wagner’s concern.
“Staffing at almost every level of cultivation is a challenge,” said Allan Rewak of the Cannabis Council of Canada, an industry group representing some of the country’s largest marijuana producers including Canopy, Tilray and Aurora.
“But we’re getting there,” he said, noting the industry is drawing top talent with backgrounds in the pharmaceutical and alcohol sectors.
Individuals with experience under the federal system that allows medicinal marijuana patients to grow cannabis themselves or appoint someone to do it, as well as former illicit growers, are also being tapped, Rewak said.
Wagner said the hardest job to find qualified applicants to fill – and one of the most crucial positions for pot producers – is for master growers, the person responsible for overseeing all aspects of cultivation.
Tasked with managing everything from seeding and germination to feeding and harvesting, a master grower need an extensive knowledge of things like temperature, humidity, lighting, plant diseases and controlling insects.
In London, licensed producer Indiva managed a rare feat: recruiting a master grower with decades of experience.
Prior to joining the publicly traded company, Pete Young spent 30 years supplying medical marijuana to members of the London Compassion Society.
“He’s been doing this since he was young, mastering lighting, hydroponics, genetics, seed generation, so we’ve been able to capitalize on his years of experience,” Indiva’s chief financial officer, Jennifer Welsh, said of Young.
Indiva will double its staff of 25 in the next nine months as the company adds eight more grow rooms, an extraction facility and lab space, said Welsh, who previously worked at a gold exploration company.
“We certainly get a lot of interest from our postings,” Welsh said, adding it’s not uncommon to get more than 100 applicants within the first week of posting a position.
“Two or three years of experience in a licensed producer is a lifetime for most people. You don’t have people with 20 years of experience that you’re bringing in. So sometimes you have to be a little bit creative to pull out what a person’s skill set is and how you can use it in this industry.”
Rewak says education offers a solution to the looming skill shortage, noting colleges and even some universities are adding cannabis courses and programs.
More than a half-dozen colleges offer diplomas in cannabis cultivation, while a handful of universities have introduced courses in cannabis business and law.
“That will generate the next generation of executives and leaders in this growing and ever-expanding sector,” Rewak said.
............................
wtf is going on at Canopy....
3 months daily
CEO B Linton;
[h=1]Canopy Growth CEO: We're not the Amazon or Google of pot yet, but we want to be[/h]
i'd be remiss......
In London, licensed producer Indiva managed a rare feat: recruiting a master grower with decades of experience.
Prior to joining the publicly traded company, Pete Young spent 30 years supplying medical marijuana to members of the London Compassion Society.
“He’s been doing this since he was young, mastering lighting, hydroponics, genetics, seed generation, so we’ve been able to capitalize on his years of experience,” Indiva’s chief financial officer, Jennifer Welsh, said of Young.
Ms Welsh- 'Mr Young we'd love to have you on board, Starting salary $120,000, full benefits, 5 weeks paid vacation'
Mr Young- 'you have a nice facility here, i can help you guys. $175,000 with full benefits, stock options, 5 weeks paid vacation and i'm out the door 2:00 pm on Fridays. 2:45 pm tee time, ya know'
Ms Welsh - ' deal!! see ya Monday!!!!!'
@)
In London, licensed producer Indiva managed a rare feat: recruiting a master grower with decades of experience.
Prior to joining the publicly traded company, Pete Young spent 30 years supplying medical marijuana to members of the London Compassion Society.
“He’s been doing this since he was young, mastering lighting, hydroponics, genetics, seed generation, so we’ve been able to capitalize on his years of experience,” Indiva’s chief financial officer, Jennifer Welsh, said of Young.
Ms Welsh- 'Mr Young we'd love to have you on board, Starting salary $120,000, full benefits, 5 weeks paid vacation'
Mr Young- 'you have a nice facility here, i can help you guys. $175,000 with full benefits, stock options, 5 weeks paid vacation and i'm out the door 2:00 pm on Fridays. 2:45 pm tee time, ya know'
Ms Welsh - ' deal!! see ya Monday!!!!!'
@)
Got a hunch that Mr Young is home schooled,lol.....and i dont think he golfs either
https://www.indiva.com/blog/news/an-interview-with-indiva-master-grower-pete-young/
seriously Canopy is behaving like a penny stock, preparing to close near the high of day on massive vol. It's up over 100% in 12 days........
some classics;
skitimeSep 4th, 2:43 pm
$WEED.CA Well I want to give a medal of courage for all those who bought today @ this level, GL.
KingMacSep 4th, 2:48 pm
$WEED.CA great way to start University����
PoopooSep 4th, 2:42 pm
$WEED.CA This is getting ridiculous with a 100% gain in a little over 12 days. Going to have to come down at some point.
corginomicsSep 4th, 11:59 am
$WEED.CA This is acting like the bull run of bitcoin last year
ross92Sep 4th, 3:57 pm
$WEED.CA wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww idk what to do
https://www.indiva.com/blog/news/an-interview-with-indiva-master-grower-pete-young/
seriously Canopy is behaving like a penny stock, preparing to close near the high of day on massive vol. It's up over 100% in 12 days........
some classics;
skitimeSep 4th, 2:43 pm
$WEED.CA Well I want to give a medal of courage for all those who bought today @ this level, GL.
KingMacSep 4th, 2:48 pm
$WEED.CA great way to start University����
PoopooSep 4th, 2:42 pm
$WEED.CA This is getting ridiculous with a 100% gain in a little over 12 days. Going to have to come down at some point.
corginomicsSep 4th, 11:59 am
$WEED.CA This is acting like the bull run of bitcoin last year
ross92Sep 4th, 3:57 pm
$WEED.CA wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww idk what to do
[*=center]
i'd be remiss......
In London, licensed producer Indiva managed a rare feat: recruiting a master grower with decades of experience.
Prior to joining the publicly traded company, Pete Young spent 30 years supplying medical marijuana to members of the London Compassion Society.
“He’s been doing this since he was young, mastering lighting, hydroponics, genetics, seed generation, so we’ve been able to capitalize on his years of experience,” Indiva’s chief financial officer, Jennifer Welsh, said of Young.
Ms Welsh- 'Mr Young we'd love to have you on board, Starting salary $120,000, full benefits, 5 weeks paid vacation'
Mr Young- 'you have a nice facility here, i can help you guys. $175,000 with full benefits, stock options, 5 weeks paid vacation and i'm out the door 2:00 pm on Fridays. 2:45 pm tee time, ya know'
Ms Welsh - ' deal!! see ya Monday!!!!!'
@)
There is no such thing as a master grower
Why not? There's always somebody who does it better or best, as with everything in life
