The ALCC Landscape Career Pathways program continues its efforts to grow the landscape industry workforce with the return of last year’s successful Irrigation Boot Camp. The 48-hour course, hosted in partnership with Emily Griffith Technical College, will help new recruits and job changers within companies to become job-ready just in time for spring start-up. Two sessions will be offered--one in March and one in April. Session one begins March 8.

“When we speak with landscape companies about the labor shortage, one area that has the greatest need is irrigation,” explained ALCC Executive Director John McMahon. “Skilled technicians are in demand, and this boot camp allows participants to acquire basic irrigation skills that can be used on the job in just four weeks. A relatively short time commitment—Thursday evenings and Fridays over a month—can end with the experience to start a good-paying job with potential for career growth.”

Instructors include Bill Cary, who recently retired from leading the landscape and horticulture program at Pickens Technical College, Aurora, and Lyle Fair, a Landscape Industry Certified Technician who leads ALCC’s certification committee for Colorado. Together, they will give students basic irrigation knowledge, troubleshooting skills, and hands-on experience. They will also focus on skills required to earn Landscape Industry Certification in irrigation.

Irrigation Boot Camp is one offering from ALCC’s Landscape Career Pathways program, which aims to bring young people into the landscape industry. In addition to boot camp at Emily Griffith Technical College, programs at seventeen Colorado high schools and at community colleges are exposing young people to the variety of landscape career opportunities available.

More information is available at www.alcc.com/bootcamp.