THE INDUSTRY GROWTH INITIATIVE GROWING OUR WORKFORCE. | PROTECTING OUR INDUSTRY. SHOWCASING OUR VALUE AND EXPERTISE.
CONFESSIONS OF A LANDSCAPE PRO
IGI IS ADDRESSING OUR INDUSTRY’S GREATEST CHALLENGES As a landscape industry professional, what keeps you awake at night? Likely, it’s some combination of sustaining your business’s growth and meeting your workforce needs.
National and regional media coverage
NALP’s Industry Growth Initiative (IGI) was created to address the lawn and landscape industry’s biggest challenges head on: ensuring the continued growth of the market and solving our critical workforce shortage. These efforts are moving the needle for our industry where it matters most. How are we doing this? Through strategic marketing and public relations efforts, bold initiatives to diversify the workforce, and mobilizing and uniting the industry for change.
Advertising campaigns
Social media outreach 1
Message testing and audience research
Strategic partnerships
COMING EARLY 2019 LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
SPONSORED BY:
The National Association of Landscape Professionals is pleased to debut the Landscape Managment Apprenticeship Program, a DOL sanctioned program, designed to help contractors attract men and women looking for on-the-job training and opportunities for career advancement. Federal and state agencies have identified apprenticeship programs as a proven solution for recruiting, training, and retaining top-tier talent. The program will include 2,000 hours of prescriptive on-thejob training (OJT), 144 hours of classroom instruction and will allow those who participate the opportunity to earn college credit upon completion.
Have questions?
Contact Rex Bishop at 800-395-2522 or email rex@landscapeprofessionals.org
APPRENTICES WILL LEARN HOW TO:
Organize equipment, tools and materials for maintenance/ management projects and load trucks safely
Apply specific herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides as directed using tools and equipment safely
Maintain tools and equipment; check and advise vehicle maintenance
Renovate, seed and sod lawns using tools and equipment safely
Mow, edge, and trim turf areas and use backpack blower, using tools and equipment safely
Aerate, vertical mow and top dress existing turf areas using tools and equipment safely
Weed, rake and cultivate shrub, groundcover and turf areas using tools and equipment safely
Water, prune, fertilize, mulch, perform leaf removal and otherwise maintain existing landscapes according to specifications
Plant, cultivate, maintain flowerbeds and potted plants according to correct and safe procedures
Program automatic and manual watering schedules as specified
Make minor adjustments and repairs to irrigation and/or low voltage lighting systems
Clean paving and hardscaping with hand and power tools and equipment in a safe manner (install or maintain)
Identify correctly the plants and flowers used on projects under maintenance and care
Prune shrubs and trees (from ground position) using tools and equipment safely
Install trees and shrubs, and adjust stakes, guy wire and adjust hose ties to prevent girdling
Apply fertilizers as directed
Read, analyze and measure job sites or blueprints and make necessary mathematical calculations
BENEFITS FOR BUSINESS Highly Skilled Employees Reduced Turnover Higher Productivity Recruitment Advantage
BENEFITS FOR WORKERS Increased Skills Higher Wages National Credential Career Advancement
Employers offering apprenticeships will have a competitive advantage in hiring, opportunities for tax credits and can take advantage of the government’s encouragement for students to consider apprenticeship training instead of college. Employers and apprentices must record all hours of work completed in each of the competency areas. An online tracking system will be provided by NALP.
Digital strategies
Industry apprenticeships
Video content and print collateral
Collaboration with stakeholders 2
GROWING OUR WORKFORCE The workforce shortage is the single greatest threat to the professional landscaping industry. With record low unemployment rates, we are competing with countless other industries for talent — from construction and manufacturing to hospitality and healthcare. These industries invest millions of dollars annually into filling their jobs — jobs that will come at a loss to the landscape industry unless we take a stand.
IGI IS LEADING THE CHARGE TO ATTRACT 100,000 PEOPLE TO THE PROFESSION BY 2025 THROUGH:
Building awareness for the multitude of career paths in the industry — from labor and supporting roles to management.
Working with policy officials at federal, state and local levels to build industry awareness and be a recognized “player” in workforce need discussions.
Improving public perception of industry professions.
Filling current job openings and creating a pipeline of future employees by directing audiences to our career website and industry job board.
Securing industry recognition with high school educators, veterans and others through our DOL-recognized apprenticeship program.
Connecting job seekers and students with pathways into the profession.
WHO ARE WE TARGETING?
3
• Current job seekers
• Students and young people
• Women
• Recent grads
• Hispanics
• Veterans
• Key influencers, including parents, teachers and guidance counselors across the U.S.
Conducted message testing on 275,000+ Americans to determine what workforce messaging resonates most with our target audiences.
Initiated diversity and inclusion programs to recruit and retain a workforce that more closely resembles society.
Created a Landscape Management Apprenticeship Program™ which provides 2,000+ hours of on-thejob training to job seekers.
Generated 450+ positive news stories in just one year about industry career opportunities.
Established key partnerships with the National Association of Workforce Boards, The Corps Network, Student Conservation Association and more to provide a workforce pipeline.
Driven 250,000+ people to learn more or apply for jobs at LandscapeIndustryCareers.org.
Mobilizing and unifying the industry to take action through conferences, webinars, creation of Landscape Career Day, school outreach materials, coordination with state and national associations, and 100+ other resources for promoting the profession.
Regularly reach tens of thousands of fans across our @WhyILandscape social media channels to promote the profession.
RESULTS THAT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
Reached 20 million people through our digital advertising campaigns with messages about career paths in the industry.
Provided industry messaging to thousands of educators and now receive weekly calls from schools who want to learn more about the profession.
4
SHOWCASING THE VALUE OF THE INDUSTRY + EXPERTISE OF PROFESSIONALS Lawn and landscape professionals know life is best spent outdoors. IGI showcases the value that our industry offers to families, communities and the environment.
WHO ARE WE TARGETING? Homeowners across the country Commercial audiences, including property managers and municipal decision makers General consumers and the American public
RESULTS THAT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
Produced research with The National Association of Realtors on the value of investing in outdoor spaces; polling on the priority the public places on yards; data on how homeowners manage their yards, and publish annual landscape trends reports. Work is underway to quantify the value of the industry for property managers.
5
Created a suite of shareable print and digital collateral that reinforce the value of healthy lawns and landscapes and address myths and misconceptions of the industry.
Regularly reach more than 45,000 fans across our @LoveYourLandscape social media channels with content that inspires Americans to invest in their outdoor spaces.
THROUGH OUR ONGOING MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS, WE ARE: Sharing messages about the environmental benefits of managed lawns and landscapes. Inspiring consumers to invest in their outdoor living spaces. Demonstrating the value of commercial landscapes to property managers.
Reshaping the public’s perception of our industry as one that is professional, responsible and environmentally-conscious. Defending our industry against attacks from our biggest naysayers and critics. Directing consumers to our Find a Pro database to locate NALP member companies in their area.
In one year, IGI secured more than 2,500 positive media stories across the U.S. that inspire and educate residential and commercial consumers about lawn care and landscape topics.
Monitor for, and proactively defend, our industry on critical issues including leaf blower bans, the safety of lawn care pesticides, lawn shaming and more.
Generated more than 3 million impressions in one year through our social media advertising campaigns that reach key audiences with messages about the benefits of healthy lawns and landscapes.
Driven more than 600,000 people to find inspiration and hire a lawn care or landscape pro at LoveYourLandscape.org.
6
JOIN US TODAY TO BECOME PART OF THIS CRITICAL INDUSTRY-WIDE MOVEMENT. We have momentum, industry leadership and an aggressive work plan. There is much more IGI will do to grow our industry and its workforce, but we need your support to get it done. Competing industries are spending millions of dollars a year to attract a workforce. Industry activists are investing similar amounts to tell their story about our industry. We need your help to take control of our future by growing the industry and its workforce.
SUPPORT THE INDUSTRY GROWTH INITIATIVE. The Industry Growth Initiative is funded through a coalition of passionate lawn and landscape companies, manufacturers and suppliers committed to raising the profile and recognition of professionalism in the industry. The NALP and NALP Foundation are taking a stand for our industry, and we invite you to stand with us. In fact, we NEED you to stand with us. We need your help to ensure the industry and the value it provides is recognized by the public and those we want to work alongside us.
VISIT
www.LandscapeIndustryProfessionals.org/ IndustryGrowthInitiative
CONTACT
Missy Henriksen, NALP Foundation Executive Director at Missy@landscapeprofessionals.org or (703) 456-4212
PLEDGE
Or to make a pledge, visit www.GivetoIGI.org
AN INITIATIVE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS AND THE NALP FOUNDATION