Short, focused credential will provide students the skills to succeed in the emerging recreational cannabis industry
Dutchess Community College unveiled a new Business program offering on Saturday during a Cannabis Workforce Initiative (CWI) event held in Greenspan Cafeteria. The Cannabis Retail Management microcredential will welcome its first cohort in fall 2023, with registration now officially open.
What is a microcredential? Microcredentials are short, focused credentials designed to provide in-demand skills, know-how and experience. Stackable microcredentials can also provide a pathway to a certificate or full degree.
The 13-credit microcredential will help students develop critical business skills in retail management, merchandising, storeroom operations, cost control, customer service and cannabis science. The four required classes are streamlined to be completed in one 16-week semester, with a schedule designed for the non-traditionally aged student who may already be working in the hospitality or retail industry.
Upon completion of the microcredential, students will be prepared for a range of careers in “budtending,” retail sales and dispensary management. If students wish to continue their studies, they can “stack” the microcredential – applying the 13 credits earned in the microcredential toward DCC’s Hospitality & Tourism A.A.S. or the Business Management A.A.S.
DCC’s Assistant Professor and Program Chair of Hospitality & Tourism Maureen Gittelman said, “Now is the perfect time for us to launch this new microcredential. The job market is about to gain real momentum. With 34 new dispensaries set to open in the Hudson Valley alone over the next year, our graduates will be ready to take advantage of well-paying opportunities to advance their careers.”
For more information about the Cannabis Retail Management microcredential, visit sunydutchess.edu/cannabis or email cannabis@sunydutchess.edu.
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