Gabrielle Saulsbury of NJBiz captured what is needed in terms of jobs and training in the burgeoning cannabis industry in New Jersey. Here are some highlights:
With the adult-use cannabis market up-and-running in New Jersey, cannabis companies need help to grow, process, package, sell, and even deliver the products. Matt Harrell, vice president of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association and vice president of government relations at Curaleaf, said it’s hard to pinpoint exact jobs numbers, but an adult-use cannabis dispensary could hire 50 people and a large-scale grow facility could create a few hundred jobs. NJCTA President and Harmony Dispensary CEO Shaya Brodchandel says that the retail portion alone will create many hundreds of jobs in dispensaries across New Jersey ... (and with the addition of) cultivation, processing, and even administrative jobs, the adult-use market is going to be a huge job creator for our state.
NJCTA board member, Sarah Trent, of Valley Wellness, is the founder of New Jersey Cannabis Certified, an educational program providing training for all entry-level plant-touching jobs in the cannabis industry, including entry-level cultivation, manufacturing, testing lab technician, and dispensary attendant jobs. NJCC’s five-module program is taught live on Zoom over five nights by industry professionals like Trent, who concocted the program in the time between submitting her medical cannabis dispensary application during the 2019 Request for Applications round and the day nearly two-and-a-half years later when she was awarded a license.