Greenhouse grower skills requirements: A multiple-state teacher and industry perspective

One of the outcomes of recent educational reform has been the development of national skill standards. The area of agriculture has lagged seriously behind in this movement. Agriculture professionals assumed that diversity in the field—of climate, geography and crops—effectively ruled out a uniform nationwide definition of skills. The purpose of this study was to secure evidence of the existing perceptions of industry and agriscience teachers, identify standards for important skills, determine the best methods of assessment, define where the skill can be acquired, and recommend remedies. The population of the study consisted of members of the industry trade group Bedding Plants International across the nation and agriscience teachers in California, Florida and Michigan. The survey disclosed that: teachers and industry can agree on a list of skill standards required for greenhouses growers regardless of location or crop; teachers and industry thought that the best method of assessing the skills is observation and/or written examinations; industry chose on the job training and postsecondary education as the best method for acquisition of the skills, while teachers chose high school and postsecondary education. In summary, the study showed that development of a set of national skill standards is possible. It is recommended that the floriculture industry and educational institutions and organizations should open a dialogue to continue the development of national skill standards in this area.