PCC continues offering cannabis industry courses

For those interested in breaking into the cannabis industry, Portland Community College has an opportunity to reach that Blue Dream.

Since June 2023, the college has been offering nine-week long online courses to teach people how to flower in a cannabis career.

Max Simon, CEO and co-founder of Green Flower, said, "One of the things I think I'm most proud of is just that it's really been great at helping people who are passionate about cannabis and love cannabis to actually turn that into a career or into a business."

Green Flower, a company dedicated sharing to industry standard cannabis education, has about 60 partners to share its curriculum, curated for cultivation specialists, retail specialists and extraction and product development specialists.

"We've spent a lot of energy and time to build this curriculum so that it's industry standard so that if you're working in the cannabis industry, this is the kind of training and qualification that's most valuable for helping you get involved," Simon said.

The next cohort starts Aug. 5 and registration closes on Aug. 12.

Adam Summers, media manager for Green Flower, said, "There is no certain number of people who can apply ... the more, the merrier."

It's a fast-growing industry. According to PCC's website, the annual job growth has increased more than 27% in the last five years nationally, with three times as many cannabis workers than dentists in the United States.

"People absolutely love studying about cannabis. It's so fascinating. It's so fun," Simon said.

Simon said his favorite joke to tell is that people think cannabis is "full of a bunch of stoners" but in reality it's "crazy complex" as an industry.

Jobs from entry-level to executive roles can allow flexibility for people to fit in and find a role in the rapidly growing cannabis industry. Students can expect to spend about six hours per week to complete required coursework.

All three programs are fully online and cost $800 — payment plans are available. No financial aid is currently available.

The cherry on top: course completion gives participants a PCC recognition of completion, a digital credential issued through Credly, advanced rankings for relevant job openings and access to an exclusive employer network.

Cultivation jobs start at a median salary of $36,000 to $75,800, retail positions start at a median salary of $42,000 to $151,000 and extraction and product development positions start at a median salary of $63,000 to $90,950, according to the 2023 Vangst Cannabis Industry Salary Guide.

"The clients is difficult, creating the products is difficult, understanding that the huge customer base that are attracted to these products is difficult, working with the plant material is difficult," Simon said. "I think it's really exciting that we're able to give people who are interested in cannabis in some way personally and are excited about the idea of making that a professional career."

More info: cannabised.pcc.edu.