July 10, 2025
Art Vanden Enden builds trust and confidence in skills of newcomers
Art Vanden Enden
Participating in the family hothouse tomato operations helped Vanden Enden develop a solid work ethic and although he didn’t personally love the product, he loved being surrounded by plants. “ I was more interested in trees and shrubs and evergreens, so when I was 15, I managed to get a part-time job at a local garden centre,” Vanden Enden said.
Paying it forward
After 44 years in the garden centre business, Vanden Enden was getting ready to retire and wanted to give back to the industry he’d enjoyed for decades. “ I wanted to share my experience because I thought I could help people and I always enjoyed training,” he said. “One of my favourite things in my final 20 years of work was actually doing training.” So he reached out to his contacts at Landscape Ontario to see if there were any teaching opportunities. Soon, Vanden Enden was running workshops and webinars geared to those working in the independent garden centre sector and branched out as an instructor for the GROW program in 2023.GROWing the talent pool
The Landscape Ontario GROW program provides free training for new workers and current professionals in the industry. It aims to help individuals launch careers, advance existing ones and assist employers in attracting and retaining skilled staff. The program offers skills and safety training, delivered by professionals like Vanden Enden, and includes online modules and hands-on training. Job developers help pair participants with landscape companies with open positions.Over the last year, Vanden Enden has heard positive feedback from employers who hired GROW graduates. “You know you’ve done a good job when you’ve trained [participants] well and they turn into valuable employees,” Vanden Enden said. “I really enjoy giving back to the industry. It’s been really good to me and I had a very rewarding working career. I personally get satisfaction out of seeing new people be receptive and excited about the learning they receive through the GROW program.”
Through GROW, Vanden Enden has introduced a wide range of participants to various career paths within the green trades. Some participants have long-term plans to become entrepreneurs and open their own businesses. Taking the GROW program is their first step to getting formal, practical training. Other participants are pivoting from a different career to try something new. And some are attracted to the opportunity to work outdoors. Whatever their career aspirations are, Vanden Enden hopes to set them up for success by giving the proper practical and theoretical guidance.
The program often attracts immigrants from India, South America, Ukraine, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Many have already gained horticulture experience in their home countries and are now eager to learn more about working in a colder climate and dealing with winter. Others are brand new to the industry. ”Sometimes there's people who have zero experience and yet they're very much attracted to working outdoors,” Vanden Enden said. “And when I say zero experience, they have never pushed a lawnmower. Never used a wheelbarrow. Don’t know the different types of tools. So it’s very new and revealing to that group.”
Finding community
Over the first few days of classes, instructors and job developers emphasize that the GROW program is a safe learning place and try to engage participants who might be shy or lack confidence. ”We want them to overcome those barriers so they can focus on the fun part and the joy of it. We also get such a wide range of people who sometimes have difficult personal lives,” Vanden Enden said, sharing that language, transportation to the training facility and the structure of the day can be difficult for some. “There's all sorts of different challenges that various people face, but we want them to know that it's a safe, inclusive and very supportive environment.”Once participants develop trust — in instructors, their classmates and themselves — Vanden Enden said it’s very rewarding to see friendships and camaraderie develop over the length of the program. By the end, “they're so supportive of each other and they celebrate each other's successes. That's really rewarding for me as a tech instructor to see,” Vanden Enden said. “Almost every class will set up a WhatsApp chat group so they can brainstorm with each other, even after the formal part of the program is over.”
Vanden Enden says the most successful GROW participants demonstrate similar characteristics. “People who ask questions, roll up their sleeves, participate and work well in teams are always the most successful,” he said, noting that pre-existing leadership skills are highly beneficial. “Oftentimes [participants] can fairly quickly get the practical experience and then start to utilize their leadership experience to fast track a career path.”
One of Vanden Enden’s favourite moments happens in nearly every cohort — watching those who have never started a two-stroke motorized piece of equipment before. “We show them how to do that, and then they can actually do that,” Vanden Enden shared. “And you see their pride and their faces light up. It's really fun when you see people practice a skill and then do it well.” He also finds it rewarding to ask somebody who didn’t know about different trees and shrubs two weeks earlier: “What is this tree?” and they can answer it.
Vanden Enden looks forward to fostering future GROW cohorts and hopes participants take away the value of working together, supporting one another and being good listeners. “Those skills are transferable to any profession,” he said. “We also like to really focus on worker safety, so health and safety, safe practices. Everything along that line is really important.” He also draws on a phrase he borrows from Ted Lasso — be curious. “Curiosity feeds learning. And when people ask good questions, get enthusiastic, that's really fun to see.”
More information about Landscape Ontario's GROW program can be found at growtraining.ca.