FNGLA's Certified Horticulture Professional (FCHP) program was recently approved as the recognized industry certification for Florida's high school horticulture programs. In order to accommodate the influx of students seeking certification, FNGLA needed to provide teachers with tools to enhance the current curriculum.

"While the link between the existing curriculum and industry certification has been established for many years, there are always some gaps when going from academia to industry," said Merry Mott, Director of Industry Certifications of FNGLA.

FNGLA sought to address the problem by delivering curriculum maps, lesson plans, presentations, student projects and sample tests to teachers through EKP.

"The functionality of EKP won me over, as well as my committee members, as we were looking at options for delivering both lesson plans and exams," Mott explained.

"Administering certification exams through EKP will reduce our operating costs and widen our reach."

Equipping teachers with learning and teaching tools is an essential component in FNGLA's goal to develop skilled and highly knowledgeable students who they hope will enter Florida's nursery and landscape industry and ensure its continued success in the future.

Through EKP, FNGLA is able to provide more opportunities for students and industry members to pursue certification through online learning, bypassing constraints associated with a conventional classroom setup.

"I especially like the ability to give each user different access rights, creating a unique experience for each user while maintaining security of the entire system," Mott added.

The Unique Role of EKP in FNGLA's Future

While the effects of the financial crisis continue to be felt throughout the industry, FNGLA's program has successfully maintained a consistent number of certified professionals, which ranges between 1,100 and 1,200.

"We believe EKP will enable us to grow our program over the next two years," said Mott.

In the long term, FNGLA plans to create training materials for the horticulture industry, including sample tests. The Association also plans to extend its offerings to other agricultural associations, hosting their curriculum and certification exams on EKP.

"We commend FNGLA's efforts in promoting the horticulture industry in Florida ," said Eric Miller, NetDimensions' Account Manager in North America.

"NetDimensions is honored to provide FNGLA with a platform to support their endeavor to make the industry more accessible to more people."

The Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) is Florida's oldest and largest association targeting the needs of the Florida's environmental horticulture industry, which has an estimated $15.2 billion in industry-wide sales annually. In 2007, FNGLA celebrated 55 years of industry representation.

FNGLA is a member-driven association that recognizes the need for individual industry members to unify. FNGLA works to better the industry, raising the bar on professionalism by spearheading marketing programs, providing promotional and educational venues for members, taking a leadership role in protecting and promoting our members' business interests, communicating the latest industry issues and providing professional certifications to interested individuals.

For more information, visit www.fngla.org.