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Tip: According to Troy Meister, CLT, manager of the Horticulture Department at Rolling Greens, Inc. in Clinton, Maryland, ALCA's Certified Landscape Technician-Interior (CLT-Interior) requirements are written into his company's job descriptions. At Rolling Greens, newly hired interior landscape employees begin their training by watching ALCA videotapes and absorbing the knowledge needed to become a certified technician. Moreover, a passing grade on the CLT-Interior exam is a necessary achievement in order to move up the career ladder at the company from senior technician to supervisor. The procedure "works wonders for us," says Meister, and is a "great selling point to clients."

To illustrate this statement, Meister notes that when a sizeable government contract came up for rebid recently, the RFP included a provision that required that the technicians working on the project had to be certified. Rolling Greens was able to surpass its competitors with less well-trained employees and land the contract because it has a large group of certified technicians on staff. The time and effort the company has put into its training program "worked out quite well" in this instance.

Meister and his company realize the value of professionally educated technicians, and the staff members gain a sense of pride and achievement when they have completed the training. They get a good broad overview of what the industry is about from the videotapes they watch, the quizzes and mock tests they take, and the follow-up discussions and review sessions that point out areas of strength and weakness that they need to enhance or address.

The company rewards those that pass the CLT-Interior certification exam with a bonus and a subscription to Interiorscape magazine, but the big boost that a passing grade gives to their self-esteem is an even better reward for many technicians. Each long-time employee at Rolling Greens has a performance plan that requires him or her to attain certain objectives within a given time period. For technicians, the goal is often earning their certification. Although not becoming certified does not negatively affect their performance reviews, a newly certified landscape technician can expect a little extra consideration when salary increases come around.

As Meister puts it, "Our organization has incorporated the ALCA CLT-Interior program into our job description requirements. It is an integral part of our training. This program truly helps to instill horticultural prowess and aptitude. Thanks, ALCA, for helping us 'grow' our people!"