This is to certify that...

By Sandy Roberton, National Chair, CNLA Certification Program

From its humble beginnings in California in the early 1980s, certification has become a major tool for employees and their managers to demonstrate that they have the necessary skills to work competently in landscape and retail garden centre companies.

     Certification is discriminate. It separates the doers from the thinkers. Is there any other way for this industry to demonstrate a level of expertise to their customers than through the certification process? The certification program is a relatively new one, but it is already gaining recognition at the consumer level and this will only increase as the process continues to receive widespread industry support.

     The first part of the process is to acquire the necessary theoretical knowledge. The next step is to apply that knowledge in the practical sense to overcome the problem. There can not be one without the other. There needs to be a balance between the classroom and the field. Many can perform a particular task but do not fully understand the process. Others can theorize all day but have no practical knowledge. The answer lies in certification.

     As owners or managers, you owe this opportunity to both yourself and your employees. By offering the certification option, you provide your employees with an opportunity to demonstrate and show proof of their abilities. Certification provides a feeling of self-worth, a sense of being part of the team. Their status as a Certified Technician provides you with the opportunity to charge more for your products and services and in turn, the ability to provide employees with a better remuneration package.

     As the certification process continues to gain both industry and consumer acceptance, it is necessary to say thank-you to those people responsible for its success to date. Thank you to the many, many volunteers across the land who have given so much of their time away from family and friends, and to those who have given support in the form of funding and donations. So often it is the same people, year in and year out. On behalf of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association CNLA and the National Certification Committee, thank you so much. The success of the Certification program is, in large part, due to you, without whom this industry would be so much the poorer.

     To our entire provincial and national association's staff, who also gave of their time and loyal support, even when the tasks were of daunting proportions, you stuck with us to see it through. Thank you.

     Now that those of you in the industry who have joined the forward-thinking class of companies, having one more of your staff certified, you too can advance into the new millennium by beginning your letter of introduction with…This is to certify that...



Certification in BC

By Bruce Hunter, B.C. CCHT Chair

Our province has embraced Certification with open arms. We now run one retail and two landscape tests per year. These tests continue to provide a sense of achievement and self-esteem for applicants, and tremendous camaraderie amongst industry educators, suppliers and contractors.

     Our first annual landscape rodeo, held at our Langley test site this spring was a huge success and has broadened the ever-growing circle of people interested in Certification. The rodeo was designed to be a team competition using the certification test stations, with teams able to score points by minimizing deductions. This rodeo-style event did not allow people to accumulate credits towards their CCHT status, but it did provide a great way for people to familiarize themselves with the certification process. It also provided student participants from Kwantlen College with an insight into the skills being sought by industry employers, and the parks departments, from Coquitlan and Surrey City Parks, an enthusiasm for the certification process.

     B.C. holds the distinction of organizing and running the first certification test in Canada, and were recently proud to announce that one of their members was the first to achieve CCHT status in all three categories of landscape installation, landscape maintenance and retail garden centre. Congratulations to PJ Burns, who has also been a real asset to the certification committee.

     "As an educator and horticultural professional, it is important to me to be able to quantify skills and knowledge," comments Mr. Burns. "The CNLA certification test is an excellent measuring stick to gauge one's abilities on a variety of levels.

     "Throughout my horticultural career, I have always been a generalist, though recently, I have concentrated on the landscape trade. To ensure that my level of knowledge is keeping pace with the industry, I accepted the challenge of obtaining CBLA certification in all three categories. I found the certification testing process to be thorough and challenging. The judges and organizers are positive and supportive. During each test, I learned a great deal about my abilities and limitations, which has allowed me to chart my future professional development into the new millennium.

     "I would encourage anyone within the trade to accept the challenge to 'get certified'." It is tremendous to see what certification is doing for the industry. Our next challenge is to expand the circle to cement our success.



Report from the Prairie Provinces

By Mike Haberl, regional chair

The landscape and garden centre industries of the prairie provinces continue to support the CNLA Certification program, and the third certification test was held at our designated site of Olds College in the spring of 1999. Our region is pleased to report that we now have 33 industry members with full CCHT status. These are very encouraging numbers, and we look forward to their ranks swelling in 2000.

     Besides industry acceptance of the CNLA certification process, we have found ourselves dealing with more practical challenges as well, not the least of which was four inches of snow the evening before a test date. Ingenuity prevailed, however, and the tests went on.

     Although the testing process represents a great deal of hard work and long hours for both staff and especially the volunteers that make this process possible, we are now beginning to see the rewards with CCHT designation being requested by some of the region's employers.

     Our province's unpredictable weather notwithstanding, we are confident that this will soon result in a snowball effect, which will see the number of participants and demand for "grads" rising significantly.



Gazing into the future

By Harold Deenen, Ontario CCHT chair

As I write this I am sitting on a plane returning from San Luis Obispo, a town about three hours north of Los Angeles. I was assigned as the national observer for the certification test in California. It is a requirement of every test to have an out-of-province/state observer. This was an excellent opportunity to look into the future of certification in Ontario.

     Perhaps a little history is in order. A few years back, the board of directors of CNLA reacted to a desire on the part of many member provinces to address the shortage of unskilled labour in our industry. While many may argue that a test simply examines the candidate's skill, it invariably leads to an upgrading of the person's skills since the test examines a broad range of skills. Very few candidates pass all of the problems on the first attempt. As a result, the majority are thrust into a situation where they need to sharpen or even learn new skills to complete the test. The result is a better tradesman.

     CNLA's search for a reliable and consistent process led them south of the border to the Certified Landscape Technician Program in use since 1983. Since the program provided testing of all the skill sets required by the board, a deal was struck to extend the program into Canada. Thus, the program became International (Australia is now expressing interest in the test). A wonderful side benefit of this is that a CCHT Certificate holder in Canada is recognized in the U.S. It needs to be stressed that we did not simply buy the rights to the test from ALCA (Associated Landscape Contractors of America); we also sit on their national board to help make changes and steer the future direction of the test (two of the four sub-chairs are Canadian). While we have four regions in Canada, the U.S. currently has 15 states, including Hawaii this year.

     The reason that California was such an excellent opportunity is that this is where it all began, also in response to a shortage of qualified trades people. The more I spoke with the gentlemen that first established this process, the more I realized that we all face the same basic challenges. The world is much smaller and we have a lot more in common than most people think.

     11 candidates participated in California's first certification test. They now run two tests per year at four different tests sites across the state. Their permanent site is located at California Polytechnical University, a school renowned for its agricultural and horticultural courses, where they test between 125 and 175 candidates. They now have 850 Certified Technicians across the state. As with our own Certified Technicians, I am thrilled to see the enthusiasm and skill of these people.

     During my brief tenure as Certification Chair for Ontario, I have many times been disheartened with the low enrolment for this very worthwhile program. This trip gave me the opportunity to peek into the future. It is exciting to know that our own trades people will step up to the plate and be tested. Along with certification comes the pride and respect they deserve for choosing our profession and along with that, the respect our work deserves.

     Landscape Ontario offers all of the study material and seminars you need to prepare for the test. Take this opportunity to upgrade your skills. Prove how good you are and enroll for the spring 2000 test.