Maryland Cannabis Administration's Workforce Development Program Application (Applications Currently Open)

The Maryland Cannabis Administration’s (MCA) Workforce Development Program, a partnership between MCA and EARN Maryland, provides a cumulative 100 hours of virtual and in-person training for retail, processing and cultivation careers across Maryland's fast growing cannabis industry. Participants will have access to eight instructor-led self-paced courses taught by industry experts, licensed operators and college professors. After completing the virtual courses, participants may enroll in a two day in-person course providing 16 hours of hands-on occupational training.

In-person training will be offered once per month beginning in November 2024 at locations across the state.

November 2024: Baltimore Region
December 2024: Anne Arundel County
January 2025: Southern Region
February 2025: Prince George’s County
March 2025: Eastern Region
April 2025: Western Region

The program is completely free, with priority consideration for applicants with a history of cannabis related justice system involvement. In addition to receiving a grant award of $122,000 from the Maryland Department of Labor's EARN program, MCA has secured partnerships with some of Maryland’s largest licensed cannabis business operators as well as two institutions of higher education with longstanding and celebrated records of innovative cannabis industry education and workforce development: Anne Arundel Community College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The mission of MCA’s Workforce Development Program is to create paths to sustainable jobs in the cannabis industry, reduce barriers to employment, and encourage mobility for Maryland's most hard-to-serve jobseekers.

Application Period Update:

The Application Period is OPEN.

Application Period Re-Opened on Monday, October 7, 2024. The MCA Workforce Development Program is currently at capacity for in-person training. You may still apply and gain access to the Workforce Development Virtual Academy and can join the waitlist for the In-Person location you would like to attend.

Applications will be selected on a rolling basis. If accepted, you must respond to your email of acceptance within one week to gain entry into the program.

MCA Workforce Development Program

The Maryland Cannabis Administration's (MCA) Workforce Development Program, presented by the MCA Resource Enterprise and Diversity Investment Division, is designed to provide virtual and in-person job training for retail, processing and cultivation careers across Maryland's fast growing cannabis industry.

The MCA Workforce Development Program is presented in phases. First, participants will complete 70-hours of online coursework, followed by a two-day, in-person training session. Once all coursework is completed, participants will be issued a completion certificate. Those with a completion certificate will become eligible to be placed in apprenticeship programs with one of MCA's industry employment partners.

Job placement opportunities will be offered throughout the program. If a participant is selected and enrolled, they may choose to be partnered with a career coach who will assist with locating immediate job opportunities while the participant completes virtual courses.

Phase 1: MCA Virtual Academy

The Virtual Academy is an 8-week self paced program requiring a six-hour time commitment per week. Completion of each module and evaluative component is required. The Virtual Academy opens to selected applicants in September 2024.

Phase 2: In-Person Learning Sessions:

After completing the Virtual Academy, participants may enroll in an in-person training course. This two-day course, which provides hands on training in retail, processing and cultivation techniques, will run from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. one weekend per month in different regions across the state.

A Training Academy Completion Certificate will be awarded to participants who complete the program to this point.

Phase 3: Placement:

Select participants who have earned completion certificates will be invited to apply for direct placement, apprenticeship, and internship opportunities within the cannabis industry.

Participants selected for apprenticeships will be required to attend a Pre-Placement course spanning one week:

Processing | Northern Region | April 28 - May 4, 2025

Retail | Baltimore Region | May 11 - May 17, 2025

Cultivation | Eastern Region | May 25 - May 31, 2025

Participants completing degree programs and those seeking to enter the industry after completing program courses will be provided with job placement and internship program opportunities to commence in June 2025.

Application Information

Application Period:

The Application Period is currently OPEN.

Application Period Temporarily Re-Opened on Monday, October 7, 2024.

Applications will be selected on a rolling basis.

You must respond to your acceptance letter within one week of it being sent. Applicants who do not confirm their acceptance within one week will be rejected from the program.

Application Requirements:

All applicants must meet the following 4 requirements:

Be Maryland Residents.

Commit to fully completing all online coursework provided.

Commit to attending a 2-Day, in-person training session.

Be 21+ Years Old.

Priority Applicants:

Priority given to ALL applicants:

With A Conviction(s) due to Cannabis Offenses or Cannabis-Related Offenses.

With A History of Adversarial Justice System Involvement.

With High Interest in Apprenticeship, Part-Time, or Full-Time Job Placement in the Cannabis Industry.

Who Complete the Workforce Development Virtual Academy in full.

Priority given to CULTIVATION and/or PROCESSING applicants:

Willing to accept positions in Northern, Southern, and Western Maryland.

About the Maryland Cannabis Adminstration:

The Maryland Cannabis Administration (formerly Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission) was established in 2014 to develop policies, procedures, and regulations to implement the medical cannabis program and ensure medical cannabis is available to qualifying patients in a safe and effective manner. In 2023, the Administration became an independent agency, that now oversees all licensing, registration, inspection, and testing measures pertaining to Maryland’s medical and adult-use cannabis industry and provides relevant program information to patients, adult consumers, providers, growers, processors, dispensaries, independent testing laboratories, and ancillary businesses.

About The Resource Enterprise and Diversity Investment Division (REDI):

The REDI Division works to promote and facilitate participation by diverse groups within the industry, including minority and women-owned businesses. A diverse and equitable cannabis industry benefits and serves our community. Cannabis Business Owners, Cannabis Industry Workers, and Marylanders in general, all stand to benefit from more equitable practices in this growing and rapidly evolving market.

MCA Workforce Development Program Application

Are you a Maryland Resident?

All applicants must be Maryland Residents. If you are not a Maryland Resident, your application will be rejected. If your residency changes in the future you are welcome to submit an application at that time. Thank you.

Are you over 21?

If selected for the MCA Workforce Development Program, do you commit to fully completing all online coursework provided?

All applicants must commit to completing all online coursework provided. If you are unable to make this commitment at this time, your application will be rejected. If you are able to commit to the coursework in the future you are welcome to submit an application at that time. Thank you.

If selected for the MCA Workforce Development Program, do you commit to attending a 2-Day, in-person, mandatory training session?

All applicants must commit to attending one 2-Day In-Person Training Session. If you are unable to make this commitment at this time, your application will be rejected. If you are able to commit to the 2-Day In-Person Session in the future you are welcome to submit an application at that time. Thank you.

Which mandatory, 2-Day, In-Person Session would you prefer to attend? You may choose one of the following options:

Have you had involvement with the justice system due to a cannabis or cannabis related offense?

Have you had involvement with the justice system for reasons other than cannabis or a cannabis related offense?

Do you have experience working in the legal cannabis industry?

Final In-Person Training Placement locations will be determined by demand and capacity

Residency Information

How many years have you been at your current place of residence?

Education and Work History

Are you currently in school?

Highest Level of Education Completed

If you are currently in school, please list your school, degree program and expected completion date

Please list your last five jobs including employer, job title and years employed. If you have worked less than 5 jobs, please list all that apply.

Why are you interested in working in the cannabis industry?

Do you have experience in any of the following industries: Restaurants/Culinary Marketing and Advertising, Accounting/Finance, Retail, Customer Service, Landscaping and Gardening, Pharmacy/Laboratory or Delivery and Distribution, Inventory, Construction

Which industry do you have prior experience in? (Select all that apply)

Restaurants/Culinary Marketing and Advertising

Accounting/Finance, Retail

Customer Service

Landscaping and Gardening

Pharmacy/Laboratory

Delivery and Distribution

Inventory

Construction

For any prior experience described above, please list the industry, business, your job title there, and the years you worked at the business below

Career Aspirations

Many entry-level job opportunities in the cannabis industry require little to no experience! Intermediate and management positions require skills that can be acquired through internship and apprenticeship positions, spending time in entry-level positions or through transferable skills. The Maryland Cannabis Administration’s Workforce Development Program is designed to provide Marylanders with free career education to prepare you for a rewarding career in a fast growing industry. Whether you start out in an entry-level or management position, possessing in-depth knowledge of the industry and career paths may make your career transition or development easier. The next three pages will provide you with information on each Workforce Development Program career track available.

Cultivation

Cultivation

Cannabis cultivation means any activity involving the planting, growing, harvesting, drying, curing, grading or trimming of cannabis. Cultivators grow all of the cannabis plants that are harvested, sold as flower and made into products. Cultivators grow cannabis in different ways,

including indoor grow facilities, greenhouses and by planting directly in the ground outdoors (e.g., field cultivation). Their operations look like other agricultural operations in Maryland. Cannabis cultivation is a multi-step process that includes:

Preparing the soil and growing medium

Planting seeds or clones

Irrigating, fertilizing and managing pests

Harvesting plants

Drying, curing and trimming plants

Growers are additionally authorized to provide seeds and seedlings to dispensaries, who can then sell the seeds and seedlings to individuals for home cultivation.

Cultivation Careers

Cultivation: Cloning, transplanting, feeding, trimming, pest management, environmental monitoring, harvesting and record-keeping.

Trimming: Trimming of harvested cannabis flower, post-trimming storage and record-keeping.

Nursery: Breeding (seed creation), cloning, transplanting, feeding, pest management, environmental monitoring, harvesting and record- keeping.

Please initial indicating that you have read this page

Applicant Initals

Processing

Processing

A cannabis processor transforms cannabis into another product, or an extract, and packages and labels the cannabis product. Processed cannabis products refer to products that have been created using extraction methods in which raw cannabis material is processed into other usable forms. The processed products can range from edibles to concentrates to tinctures and topical applications, among others.

Processing Careers

Extraction: Safely converting cannabis flower material into cannabis oil for inhalation or later infusion into a cannabis-infused product.

Infusion: Preparing and mixing raw ingredients, processing/manufacturing steps, intermediate product storage and record-keeping.

Packaging: Filing, labeling, packaging, storing and keeping detailed records on finished cannabis-infused products. Inventory: Warehouse and inventory management of cannabis oil and infused products.

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Applicant Initals

Retail Dispensaries and Ancillary Businesses

Retail Dispensaries and Ancillary Businesses

A cannabis dispensary is an entity that acquires, possesses, repackages, transports, sells, distributes, or dispenses cannabis or cannabis products, including tinctures, aerosols, oils, and ointments, related supplies and educational materials for use by qualifying patients, caregivers or consumers through a storefront or through a delivery service.

Retail Dispensary Careers

Sales: Providing service and assistance to customers through sharing of product knowledge, answering questions and completing retail sales transactions.

Inventory: Entails inventory and storage management of cannabis products.

Ancillary Businesses and Services

There are many opportunities to work with ancillary businesses as well. Ancillary businesses are entities that do not directly handle cannabis products but provide essential cannabis industry services such as laboratory services, secure transport, green waste management, outreach, marketing and more!

Please initial indicating that you have read this page

Applicant Initals

By initialing below; I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the information provided in this application is true and accurate, I am a current Maryland Resident, and I am at least 21 years of age.

Applicant Initals