Registration is now open for UMass Extension’s Green School, a certificate short course offering horticultural training for professionals and aspiring individuals alike. The remote program will run from Oct. 25th through Dec. 15 three afternoons per week., totaling 60+ hours, and will be taught by UMass Extension Specialists along with UMass faculty and guest instructors.
Attendees can choose from three specialty tracks to fit their personal goals: Landscape Management, Turf Management, and Arboriculture. This year, the arboriculture curriculum was completely redesigned, with an emphasis on safety, best practices, plant health care, and pest management.
Green School will benefit workers in the green industries — landscapers, lawn care providers, nursery operators, public and private grounds managers, and arborists— as well as those aspiring or recently entering the green industries.
This is the second time Green School will be run virtually, so students can take classes from the comfort of their own offices or homes without traveling a distance. Convenient, yet vigorous remote instruction will take the form of Zoom lectures, assigned readings, surveys, and quizzes, all through the online learning management system Moodle.
Tuition costs $1025 for 8 weeks of research-based and comprehensive training. Massachusetts employers may be eligible to receive partial to full reimbursement for the registration fee through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Express Grant Program.
Green School is only offered once biennially, so the next opportunity to take the course won’t be until 2024. Registration is open until 10/18/222, though seats are first-come, first-served, so complete registration to confirm your seat.
Complete information and online registration can be found at http://ag.umass.edu/greenschool.