By Kali Pearson

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that finding and keeping great talent is tough. And while there are plenty of HR strategies to help business owners once people are in the workforce, Landscape Ontario and its members are working to draw more young people into the talent pool by engaging them early and often. With so many career paths to choose from, these initiatives aim to get to the root of the talent issue by igniting their passion for a meaningful career in the green trades.

“Engaging youth is a necessary part of recruiting our future workforce and leaders. It is essential for long term sustainability of the industry,” says Courtney McCann, director of workforce development at Landscape Ontario. “If youth aren’t being engaged, our workforce ages and isn’t able to grow.”

Sowing the seeds

What did you want to be when you grew up? For some, a career in the landscape trades may have been a childhood dream, or a family business to carry on. But for many kids (and their parents), the landscape and horticultural trades aren’t even on the radar.

“There’s a lack of understanding of our profession,” says Scott Wentworth, owner of Wentworth Landscapes in Picton, Ont. “The perception of our trade can definitely be limited to cutting lawns by parents, teachers and guidance counsellors.”

Wentworth is trying to address this through Come Alive Outside, a non-profit he co-founded with Jim Paluch in 2012. The Come Alive Outside Design Challenge is a program where post-secondary students collaborate with elementary school students (AKA, ‘their clients’) to design their ideal outdoor space at their school. The winning design is then built by industry, students and parent volunteers.

“We work most with grade three to six students, because their imaginations are completely unfiltered,” said Wentworth. “A zipline through dragons in the school yard? Sure, why not! I'll tell you, if some of those students don't end up being landscape designers or in the landscape profession, something's become misaligned in the universe because it really seems to capture them.” Teachers have commented to Wentworth many times that they have seen even students who typically struggle with school light up with enthusiasm through this project.

He points to the recent example of a 13-year-old special needs student who very enthusiastically took part in the program. “The teacher told me as she was walking me to the door that he usually doesn’t even talk in class,” Wentworth said. The student later told Wentworth he’s already counting down the years until he can get a part-time job at Wentworth Landscapes. Often, said Wentworth, the design challenge prompts educators to think about creating more green spaces and even gardening clubs at their school.

Come Alive Outside’s work isn’t limited to school outreach. The non-profit organization also engages local communities through initiatives like the Green Street Challenge, which essentially turns areas of a city or town into a pop-up green space, encouraging residents to connect with plants and nature in ways they may not have considered.

Both initiatives address a significant barrier to getting more young people into the landscape trades — their parents. “I don't think the parents really understand what those opportunities are,” said Wentworth. “So far, we’ve hosted six Come Alive Outside Design Challenges, and in every event, we’ve seen students, parents and the school community grow their understanding of what the landscape profession offers in the way of a meaningful career,” he said.

In all of this work, appealing to the imagination — and demonstrating that careers in the green trades can make a difference — is key. “This generation of students has a keen awareness of climate change from Greta Thunberg, but little guidance on what careers could lead them to have a significant impact on solving climate change issues,” said Wentworth. “We are that profession — the ‘boots on the ground’ that will make the difference.”  
 

Standing out in the high-school crowd

While sparking imagination is key for attracting younger students, high school is when youth begin taking concrete steps toward their career of choice and decide on post-secondary education plans. Through programs like Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program, and LevelUp! Trade Fairs hosted by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development, more students than ever are being encouraged to consider a career in the skilled trades.

That’s great news for all skilled trades, but the trick is standing out from the crowd. Most students and their parents are familiar with high-earning trades like plumbing and electrical work, but the green sector isn’t as well known or understood. Angela Wilkins, Landscape Ontario’s new youth engagement coordinator says our sector can attract attention at career fairs by creating booths that invite students to get their hands dirty — planting seeds or even creating miniature landscapes.

“It’s a chance to see various careers in the landscape trades,” said Wilkins. “We get a chance to show kids that it’s not just one career, it’s lots and lots of careers —  design, irrigation, turf, horticultural technology and more. There are so many different opportunities, depending on what the students are interested in.”

On top of demonstrating different paths, LO aims to give students concrete guidance on the many ways to enter the industry at these events — from higher education, to internships, to ongoing microtraining and Landscape Ontario student memberships.

At a recent OYAP conference, Wentworth discovered that even apprenticeship program managers aren’t always aware of the depth and breadth of careers in the green trades — from boots on the ground landscaping, to emerging opportunities and technologies like AI and robotics.

This is one of the many reasons LO attends the LevelUp! Trades Fairs. Hosted in high schools across the province, these five events can draw up to 6,000 students per day.

Leaning into youth engagement

In addition to hiring Wilkins, LO recently re-established a committee dedicated to youth engagement, which will meet for the first time in April. The goal of the committee is to find ways to make connecting with youth at the chapter and sector level easier and more effective.

In collaboration with the newly formed committee, Wilkins is leading the creation of a Green Careers Ambassador Program. “This is for all members across Ontario who would like to participate in youth engagement activities at local schools and in their local communities,” Wilkins explained. “Landscape Ontario will provide the toolkit and ideas, as well as some materials, so that they can go into schools and into the community and do an activity with youth to get them more interested in this career, your business, and horticulture and landscaping in general.”

Wilkins is excited about the upcoming Skills Ontario Competition in May where college and high school students will compete in a Landscape and Horticulture category and a Landscape Design Contest. Several LO members volunteer to judge the competitions, and also help to promote the green trades.

Growing into post-secondary education

Many LO members also give back to the trades and connect with future leaders of our industry by taking on teaching roles at post-secondary institutions like Fanshawe College, Niagara Parks School of Horticulture and Humber College, which offer degrees and diplomas in Landscaping and Horticulture.

Pam Cook, account representative at Clintar Landscape Management in London, Ont., teaches horticulture at nearby Fanshawe College and believes that once young people are made aware of the trade, their enthusiasm is boundless.

“Young people are drawn to the conversation about making a change and helping the environment,” she said. “We are the forefront industry to make these changes on a global scale. It is all encompassing. We are the ones tending to and installing gardens, urban forestry, designing landscapes that serve the community as well as the environment. I think there is a wonder and joy that comes with participating in something that can truly change the world and people's lives.”

Tanya Olsen, owner of Royal City Nurseries, and Liane Cook are instructors at Humber College. The school offers several learning opportunities, including the Horticulture Technician Apprenticeship program and Landscape Technician Diploma. Olsen and Cook both see a similar level of passion in their students. They say students tend to be very excited about working outdoors in the fresh air, “with no walls crowding down on you all day.” They say the environment, climate change, urban food supply and sustainability are key drivers that motivate students to enroll and commit fully to their studies.  Olsen also feels strongly that early exposure to green spaces is the best way to promote interest. The ‘gardening lifestyle’ needs to be introduced early because, as she says, “carrots don’t come from a bag.”  

Lifelong learning

There isn’t anyone in the trades who thinks learning ends at graduation. And indeed, sometimes micro-education through LO provides the spark to get students started on their path. “Getting people involved isn’t  just about higher education. It’s about what levels of even micro credentials and training we can do to bring people in and just get them excited,” Pam Cook said. “Is this something that you want to do? Is it something that you can participate in that provides a good career opportunity? Higher education can be a big financial investment and time commitment.” With that financial hurdle in mind, the Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation (Landscape Ontario's separate charitable entity), offers a wide range of financial scholarships for post-secondary education each year.

Cook, Olsen and Cook encourage their students to become LO members in order to take advantage of the many things the association has to offer. Pam Cook specifically encourages students and faculty at Fanshawe to attend Congress, Landscape Ontario’s annual trade show and conference to take advantage of free educational opportunities and to network with future employers. Olsen and Liane Cook invite current students and recent graduates alike to attend free Toronto Chapter meetings and invite LO to talk to their apprenticeship students about the support and training LO offers. Finally, they help students find meaningful employment through landscape.jobs, a free online jobboard for the green profession.

Everyone interviewed for this story agrees our work to grow the future workforce of landscape and horticultural professionals doesn’t end when students get their degree or accept their first role. “It's the transition between coming from education and finding an employer that emulates what they're looking to do,” said Pam Cook. “When they enter into education they get really excited about what they're doing. They find people who are passionate, who are leaders in the industry and then they may not see that emulated in their workplace.” She says keeping young people in the sector will take commitment and willingness to change on the part of employers.

“People are looking to be able to support themselves but also have time to spend with their hobbies, passions and families,” she says. “Sometimes our industry is unappealing when it comes to hours and how they juggle their lives around that demand. The companies that will stand out to the next cohort will understand and embrace what that looks like. It may be custom tailoring compensation, ongoing education or better hours and schedules based on employee needs.”

With the re-establishment of a Youth Engagement Committee, skills training and the LO community’s ongoing commitment to mentoring young people and business owners alike, Landscape Ontario and its members are leading the way for a green future.

“The universal conversation that [youth] all share is a need for change and accountability. They look at the world through a different lens. They want and demand change and I am so proud of them for that,” said Pam Cook. “They pick this education path because they want to see a world that their and the next generations get to enjoy. They are ready to be fierce change makers and I can not wait to hand the reins over to them.”

For anyone wishing to take a more active role in recruiting the future by joining the Youth Engagement Committee or volunteering at events, please reach out to awilkins@landscapeontario.com.