NCNLP Spotlight

By Joel Kayser, on behalf of the NCNLP Committee

The Nebraska Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional (NCNLP) program continues to see interest from individuals looking to advance their knowledge and distinguish themselves within Nebraska’s green industry.

This summer, three candidates took the NCNLP certification exam, hosted at the Metropolitan Community College Fort Omaha Campus. We appreciate MCC’s continued support in providing a great location for our certification program.

The NCNLP exam is no small feat and covers a broad range of horticulture and landscape practices, including an advanced plant identification component that requires extensive knowledge of plants used throughout our industry.

For those looking to strengthen their plant identification skills, we encourage you to find an arboretum or botanical garden near you and spend some time walking the grounds. Practice identifying plants before looking at the labels, and pay attention to characteristics such as leaf shape and arrangement, bark, branching habits, flowers, fruit, and overall growth habit. There is no substitute for seeing plants in person, and regular practice is one of the best ways to improve your plant ID skills.

As interest in professional certification continues to grow, we encourage business owners and managers to consider supporting their employees in becoming NCNLP certified. Certification provides employees with an opportunity to expand their knowledge, build confidence, and demonstrate their commitment to the profession. For employers, having NCNLP-certified professionals on staff can help set your company apart from the competition and show customers that your team is committed to knowledge, professionalism, and high industry standards.

Whether you have an experienced employee ready for the next step or a developing team member you want to invest in, encourage them to pursue their NCNLP certification.

Happy Fall!