The Edge September/October 2025

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

NALP Foundation Sparks Student Interest in Landscape Careers at SkillsUSA By Jill Odom

EVERY LAWN AND LANDSCAPE COMPANY WANTS ACCESS TO QUALITY employees who are going to grow their bench. The NALP Foundation is working to increase the talent pool by collaborating with industry partners at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.

to introduce the career path. It’s really the responsibility of all to introduce the career path to young people so that they see it as a viable and accessible pathway for themselves.” Jenn Myers, executive director of the NALP Foundation and senior director of workforce development, says as the Foundation works to establish the state- level competitions, they are looking for landscape companies that can assist in running these competitions. She says one benefit of volunteering at the state level is being able to connect with career-ready students who work in their communities. If you want to get involved in support ing the Foundation’s efforts with SkillsU SA, there are many options available. “We need lots of different types of support,” Myers says. “We have financial support. We have in-kind support with donors of different materials. We definite ly need help staffing the booth each year. We are extremely busy every year talking to all the different types of stu dents, educators, different state directors and other folks.” If you are interested in engaging with SkillsUSA at the national or state level or want more information, please con tact Jenn Myers at Jenn@landscapepro fessionals.org. TE

SkillsUSA is a workforce development program that prepares students to be come skilled professionals. The Founda tion is leading the charge to launch state and national level landscape horticulture competitions at SkillsUSA. These compe titions will encourage educators to teach landscape-related skills in the classroom. “At Plants Creative, we support SkillsUSA because it introduces students to career paths they may not have con sidered - or even known about - in the green industry,” says Pam Dooley, owner of Plants Creative Landscape, based in Decatur, Georgia. “It’s a significant way to spark early awareness and inspire the next generation.” During the event from June 23-27, multiple NALP members volunteered their skills and time to craft an inviting space for students and educators to visit and learn more about the career possibil ities of the landscape industry. “The reason why we need to collec tively come together as a community and support SkillsUSA and the initiatives that NALP has put together is because it’s really difficult to do this alone,” says Brigitte Orrick, director of talent develop ment for The Davey Tree Expert Com pany, based in Kent, Ohio. “When we’re getting together at the state level, one business can’t be the only organization

14 The Edge // September/October 2025