HOLYOKE — The Cannabis Education Center at Holyoke Community College (HCC) will begin its spring schedule of industry training programs this weekend, Jan. 21-22, with “Cannabis Core: Foundations of the Industry,” a two-day, introductory cannabis course.
Additional Cannabis Core programs are set for Feb. 11-12, March 11-12, April 22-23, and May 20-21. All classes meet over Zoom on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The spring calendar also includes multi-week training programs for jobs as culinary assistants, patient-services associates, cultivation assistants, and extraction technicians.
The Cannabis Core program provides an overview of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and is geared for people looking for general knowledge as they consider a cannabis career. The program is a foundational course and a prerequisite for the center’s four career track courses:
• Culinary assistants are responsible for preparing cannabis or cannabidiol-infused products using a variety of cooking, baking, and infusion techniques;
• Patient-service associates work behind the counters at cannabis dispensaries, interacting with the public, answering technical questions, and providing information to registered cannabis patients, caregivers, and recreational customers making purchases;
• Cultivation assistants provide the daily care of the crops from seed to harvest and may be involved in cracking seeds, soil mixing, potting, defoliation, watering, pest control, and trimming; and
• Extraction technicians work in labs assisting production managers in all aspects of extraction, purging, oil manipulation, winterization, distillation, solvent recovery, and quality control.
Here is the full CEC cannabis training program schedule for spring 2023:
“Cannabis Core: Foundations of the Industry”: Sept. 9-10, Oct. 1-2, Oct. 29-30, Dec. 10-11; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (classes held over Zoom).
“Culinary Assistant”: Jan. 24 to Feb. 9, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. (classes held over Zoom and in-person at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke).
“Patient Services Associate”: Jan. 28 to Feb. 12, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (classes held over Zoom).
“Cultivation Assistant”: March 19 to April 16, Sundays, 4:30-6 p.m. (self-paced online plus four instructor-led Zoom sessions).
“Extraction Technician”: April 22 to May 13, Saturdays, 10-11:30 a.m. (self-paced online plus four instructor-led Zoom sessions).
The cost of the Cannabis Core training is $599, and career-track programs are $799, but scholarships are available to those who qualify.
To register, visit hcc.edu/cannabis-core or contact Lanre Ajayi, HCC director of Education and Corporate Learning, at [email protected] or (413) 552-2324.
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