Learning and development is a cornerstone for every industry — the extra-legal market of cannabis included. One learning management platform that is making major moves is Seed Talent, a “talent management and development marketplace.”
More specifically, the platform pools L&D courses from hundreds of educators and verifies the skill sets of cannabis professionals. Earlier this month, Greg Healy — whose resume includes work at Careerbuilder.com and a long stint at learning staple Britannica — was named as Seed’s new chief product officer. Outsiders and newbies to the weed industry may be wondering: What is it about the reskilling and upskilling process that needs this kind of heavy lift?
“The cannabis industry is relatively new for everyone, even those coming from legacy markets. Yet it is also growing at a lightning-fast pace,” Kurt Kaufmann, CEO and co-founder of Seed Talent, told HR Dive via email. This creates a distinct set of challenges, “including educating and upskilling an entire workforce, ensuring safety and compliance from seed to sale, and making sure that everyone from budtenders to C-suite executives receives the training and education that they need to be successful,” he continued. Although, budtenders — the retail associates that run cannabis dispensaries — are Seed’s main focus as “the industry's highest-volume role,” Kaufmann added.
Dispensary workers and their managers are the green boots on the ground, educating patients and recreational users about a host of products and brands. Likewise, Kaufmann said, knowledge on cannabis cultivation, effects and regulations are also highly desired by recruiters.
But for the most part, the same skills that would make any individual a dream job candidate hold true in the cannabis industry. “Strong work ethic, collaborative, a high level of integrity, an interest in the industry, and the ability to be flexible and adaptable,” Kaufmann rattled off. Because of the cannabis sector’s velocity, problem solving is the most coveted skill in cannabis recruitment from Kaufmann’s perspective.
“The pace of growth — and all of the challenges that come not only with that growth but constant changes in regulations and industry dynamics — requires individuals who can adjust the plan and keep things moving forward toward an agreed-upon north star,” Kaufmann said. “It truly is about finding folks with entrepreneurial-minded approaches that are willing and able to work well in a team dynamic, regardless of the individual area of specialty.”
