Who's working on your project?


CNLA professionals make your job worry free.


“you get what you pay for”, will ring true. Home renovations are turning into cautionary tales. Horror stories are becoming all too common of home- owners discovering that their new paved walkways and irrigation features are either cracked and crooked or leak- ing inside their homes. In an effort


M to prevent companies


who pop up, seemingly overnight, with a lawn mower and trailer but no train- ing, from thinking that they’re ready to do work on a home, the landscape and horticulture industry has made a real push toward professional development. Landscape Industry Certification


and apprenticeship training exist across Canada to provide technical and hands- on learning as well as formalized test- ing. The goal is to ensure that profes- sionals across the country comply with current standards and industry best practices. The benefits are twofold; for members of the industry it means a certifiable professional credibility and competency, while


for homeowners


it means having confidence in the fact that work is being completed by a profes- sional, not an amateur. As a homeowner you should be aware


of who you’re employing. Although shopping around for pricing estimates has its benefits, sometimes you run the risk of settling for who can do the job the cheapest because you think “they’re just cutting grass and maintaining my yard, what could go wrong?” But you didn’t spend money on new sod just so that someone could install it incor- rectly only to die a month later. Or choose beautiful flora to add to your garden, that have been ruined and won’t survive because the company you hired didn’t know how to care for them properly. The fact is that mistakes and poor workmanship can cost more than hiring someone who is certified or has


6 • Dreaming 2016 Safety and knowledge are important to ensure your project is done right.


undergone apprenticeship training, and has the credentials that prove they know what they’re doing. Here’s what you should be asking a


landscape company you’re thinking of employing. What types of credentials do you and your staff hold?


Their answer should include either


one or a few of the following: 1. Enrollment at a post-secondary


institution with a horticulture program. 2. Work as an apprentice who was hired by an employer


to learn their


trade in a workplace-based program, and was officially registered with their province or territory during which they successfully completed assignments and examinations. 3. Successful completion of the rigor-


ous and internationally recognized Landscape Industry Certified exami- nation process, through which they’ve received credentials as either a Land- scape Industry Certified Technician, Manager or Designer. Certified indi- viduals must continue to upgrade their skills through a mandatory continuing education program.


What proof of completion do you have?


1. A Certificate of Qualification that


recognizes that the individual complet- ed their apprenticeship and are skilled in the trade because they’ve achieved their key competencies on the job. 2. Red Seal endorsement is recognized


and affixed on the provincial certificate and facilitates being able to find work across the country, because the individ- ual has achieved the set of standards and competencies in their trade, in this case the landscape trade. 3. A certificate of completion specify-


ing their Landscape Industry Certified designation For Landscape Industry Certified Technicians, the designation is broken down further within specific modules like Softscape and Hardscape Installation,


Turf


Maintenance, Retail Horticulture, Inte- rior Landscaping and lawn Care. So the next time you’re planning land-


scape work, insist that the company you choose have trained individuals on staff, who can back up their qualifications.  Provided by Canadian Nursery Land- scape Association www.cnla-acpp.ca.


localgardener.net


istakes cost. But as home- owners we don’t always want to believe that the old adage,


and Ornamental


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