Cannabis Education: Building the Foundation for a Cannabis Career

A career in cannabis can range from cultivation, extraction, or processing to manufacturing, testing, or budtending. As the laws in each state and country rapidly change, more people are turning to cannabis as a career path and, in turn, are looking for places to get a proper education and a foot in the door. Cannabis Training University has been helping students learn about the different aspects of cannabis and find jobs since 2009. We recently spoke with Jeff Zorn, the CEO and Owner of Cannabis Training University about the different courses they offer, what sets them apart from other cannabis training facilities, and more.

How has Cannabis Training University (CTU) transformed since its launch in 2009?

Jeff Zorn: We are all about content. We are bigger, better, and provide more content now than ever before. We saw a need in the industry for complete, comprehensive, and up-to-date cannabis training and took steps to fill that gap in the most inviting way possible, especially as the laws around cannabis business have changed since 2009 and are changing again now under the new administration and in many other countries around the globe.

What kind of information does your program offer to students?

Zorn: We offer a range of options for students to choose from to make sure they get the best start possible, including:

• Beginner and Advanced content-our course catalog is designed to fit all experience levels.

• A full, comprehensive course curriculum-covering everything from growing to starting a business, to up-to-date medical and legal information.

• Video-We provide the largest collection of video content in the industry, which was a response to what we saw as changing learning and viewing habits among today’s users.

• E-books A surprisingly popular and effective way at communicating critical cannabis information. Plus, users can download them.

What is the most popular course or track that students follow or request more information about?

Zorn: Our three most popular courses cover some of the most important information in the industry:

• Growing-This is the most popular course, and many students who enroll are looking to simply improve their own home grows or get better at growing for personal reasons.

• Laws-The laws around cannabis are always changing, and career-focused students need to know what’s going on in real-time.

• Budtending-This is a classic entry level position, and great training for students to get their foot in the door.

As more states legalize for recreational use, do you plan to expand your curriculum to cover areas that are geared more towards that market instead of medical?

Zorn: Actually, we have already begun to do this with our new curriculum. Our Cannabis Laws and Regulations class now includes new information about recreational as well as medical regulations. All of our other classes have been revised to be inclusive of recreational users as well. This is obviously a huge time of change and we’re working our hardest to respond and stay up to date so our students can have the most accurate and recent information.

Do you offer any courses on testing or quality control for cannabis laboratories? Or is that an area you might go into in the future?

Zorn: Currently, we do not include specific coursework on testing and quality control for cannabis laboratories. However, our new Cannabis Business class will address the need for testing and quality control in canna-businesses, and our new Cannabis Careers class will cover cannabis laboratory jobs. As we continuously improve our offerings every year, it is very possible that we might include this type of course in the future.

What sets CTU apart from other cannabis training groups or initiatives?

Zorn: It’s our curriculum: we offer 200+ videos, tons of e-books, a huge blog, and alumni resources to help graduates find jobs and get landed. We are also known in the industry because we have partnered with a staff of recognized industry experts, who bring plenty of experience and connections to provide the best information out there.

We also have connections to the job market-our Job Board lists dozens of open positions around the industry, coupled with our wide alumni network.

Our price also sets us apart-all courses and Master Certification for just $249, not thousands.

What are your future plans for CTU?

Zorn: This is such an exciting time for the cannabis industry, and we have big, big plans ahead. These include:

• Expanding our curriculum to continue to be the leading educator in the industry.

• Constantly updating and improving content in the face of the changing legal landscape.

• Stay a step ahead of industry advances to ensure our students are leading the job market, not chasing it.

• Continued expansion around the world to remain the world leading cannabis college.

How to Cite This Article

J. Zorn interview, Cannabis Science and Technology2(1), 60-61 (2019).