​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.

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. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting July 1, 2024.

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