University of Florida offering two online greenhouse training courses

The University of Florida is hosting two online greenhouse training courses: Success with your Latino Workforce and Weed Management.

The Success with your Latino Workforce course will discuss concepts of communication and culture, and how they apply to attendees' Latino workforces to create a positive and efficient work environment for all employees.

The course is taught by Claudio Pasian, professor emeritus in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University, where he taught for 25 years.

This course, new for 2024, will prepare non-Latino supervisors or coworkers of Latino employees to solve issues in the workplace that are the consequence of a mixed culture workforce. Common Spanish terms and phrases for greenhouse and nursery production will be taught.

This course is only offered in English.

The Weed Management course will help attendees understand weed management strategies for nurseries and greenhouses, including weed identification, herbicides and non-chemical methods for effective control.

The course is taught by Chris Marble, associate professor of ornamental and landscape weed management in the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida.

He focuses on teaching horticulture professionals about the importance of identifying weed species before applying treatments. Growers in the course have described him as an instructor who “is very methodical and easy to learn from” who presents “weed management in an in-depth, clear manner.”

This course is part of the Plant Health Professional Certificate and is offered in English and Spanish.

Both courses run from Oct. 14 to Nov. 8. Each course costs $275 per participant, with a 20% discount for registrations of five or more.

All course material is completely online and available at any time of the day; it includes pre-recorded videos, an interactive discussion board with professors and quizzes. Two new modules are activated each week during each course, for a total of eight learning modules.

To register or for more information, visit hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training or email greenhousetraining@ifas.ufl.edu.