NVCC horticulture program 1^st in state to be accredited by nation’s largest landscape association

(Waterbury, CT) — Naugatuck Valley Community College’s horticulture program has become the first in Connecticut to be accredited by the nation’s largest trade association for landscape professionals.

The accreditation means the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), which has 4,000 members across the country, believes NVCC’s horticulture curriculum more than meets the needs of the landscape industry by meeting its rigorous set of educational standards.

“Our accreditation program is designed to ensure that horticulture and landscape curriculums are turning out graduates who are ready to walk into the most demanding jobs in the industry,” said Marcia Higgins, manager of professional standards at PLANET in Herndon, Va.

Eugene Wisniewski, assistant professor of horticulture at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, discusses concepts with student Jeanne Lowe during his greenhouse management class Tuesday, April 5, 2005.

“Schools that earn PLANET accreditation set themselves apart by meeting, and maintaining, the highest possible standards of excellence,” she said.

It is the second important achievement in the past year for NVCC’s horticulture program, which is designed to prepare students for either further education or employment in landscaping, greenhouses, garden centers and related businesses. The program offers an associate degree in horticulture, as well as certificates in horticulture and landscape design. In February 2004, NVCC announced its horticulture graduates would be able to seamlessly transfer to the University of Connecticut to earn a bachelor’s degree through a new articulation agreement with UConn.

The PLANET accreditation also highlights the critical role NVCC plays in helping fulfill the needs of the landscape industry, which has more jobs for trained workers than it can fill.

“Our students are often offered two or three jobs before even earning a certificate or degree,” said Dr. Bonnie Simon, academic director of NVCC’s math/science division. “Our horticulture program has grown two-fold in the past five years. Just recently, I even received a call from a student in Massachusetts who wants to come down here and take part in the program.”

Dick Tice, executive director of the Connecticut Groundskeepers Association, confirmed the landscape industry is in need of qualified workers.

Lindsey Bunce and Zachary Morin, both horticulture students at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, work on plants during their greenhouse management class Tuesday, April 5, 2005.

“Most people in this industry started with it in high school and continued part-time through college without any formal training,” said Tice, who ran T&L Lawn Service in Prospect for more than 30 years before his son took over the business. “We have trouble finding enough trained personnel — whether that training is in the form of a certificate or a degree.”

In particular, students with training in landscape design and plant installation have seen their job prospects widen dramatically, said Eugene Wisniewski, NVCC faculty member and coordinator of its horticulture program.

“PLANET loved our students and the diversity we have here, and they loved our landscape design courses,” Wisniewski said. “They also liked the flexibility of our curriculum, which allows students to do some picking and choosing among the courses to meet their individual career goals.”

Higgins said graduates from PLANET-accredited schools are highly sought after by employers. “They really can write their own ticket,” she said. “And this is a very viable career path. Some people think of it as just digging in the dirt, but that’s because they don’t realize the required background in science and other coursework.”

NVCC, which has offered a horticulture program for 30 years, serves 35 communities across western Connecticut from Litchfield to Waterbury to Seymour to Southbury and Danbury. Its 110-acre, main campus is located off exit 18 on Interstate 84. For more information about the horticulture program, call Dr. Bonnie Simon at (203) 575-8191. Applications are now being accepted for all credit courses at NVCC this fall. Visit www.nvcc.commnet.edu to apply online, or call (203) 575-8151.

PLANET is a professional association for landscape contractors designed to provide an exchange of information, as well as business and technical ideas to help contractors grow their businesses. It was formed Jan. 1, 2005, when the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) and the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) merged. Founded in 1961, ALCA represented landscape maintenance, installation and design/build contractors. PLCAA, founded in 1979, represented residential and commercial lawn-care professionals. For more information, visit www.landcarenetwork.org.