When green industry leaders gathered in Arlington, Va., on March 1-3 for the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Workforce Summit, the coronavirus was of minor but rising concern in the U.S. By the following week, NALP knew it had to pivot for its next event, the National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC).
NCLC was originally scheduled for March 18-21 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.
As the organization began the event cancellation process at Michigan State, leaders began thinking about how they could provide another option and what that would look like, said Jenn Myers, NALP’s senior director of workforce development.
NALP’s virtual event was held on April 7-8 and is on demand online until June 30. The event included the career fair and 12 workshops, but didn’t include the student competition, or the NALP scholarship reception. Scholarships were mailed to the winners, who will be recognized in NALP publications and on its website.
Myers said that despite disappointment about not being able to include the competitive events, feedback from attendees has been positive, and they have appreciated having some format of the event available to them.
“(Sponsors) felt it was important to participate and get the word out that they’re still working and still hiring,” Myers said. “Yes, these are crazy times, but you can feel good that you’re choosing a career path that is deemed essential and you can still continue to feel good about the choices you’re making.”
