Why online
The Canadian Landscape and Nursery Association (CLNA) made plans to move its certification program online in 2019, way before COVID-19 hit. Why move online? Because our brothers in the United States had decided to drop their practical testing days. The logistics of putting on the testing days were just too much. (Sadly, the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) never answered my e-mails).
In British Columbia, we used to have two testing days, in June and October. Testing stations had to be set-up and volunteer assessors assembled.
Old style
I went through the old style of testing. I would walk up to my station, nervous like all of the other candidates, and the judge would run over the station notes with me. Then it was show time for half an hour. Often, I would have former employers eyeing me from a distance.
Failing one station in June meant having to wait until October to attempt it again. Not anymore! With online testing, you have one (1) year to complete the testing. If your video evidence is insufficient, you can redo it right away; no need to wait for months.
Waiting cost some candidates momentum. I know a few candidates, less stubborn than me, who gave up and never got certified. Not landscape pro Vas. I had a raise and minor fame riding on it.
Subjective!
Sitting in the candidate tent, unwisely stuffing myself with donuts and feeling extremely nervous, I promised myself that one day I would be a judge. And years later I did it!
As a judge I had a list of station competencies to follow and red flags to look for. For example, raising a metal stake pounder over your head was dangerous and a cause for immediate disqualification.
Now, here’s the beauty of online assessment. You, the candidate submit a video and I, as your assessor, can decide if your performance was sufficient for a pass. This is more subjective, meaning I get to use my experience and judgement.
Valid-8
The online portal, run by Valid-8, is where candidates and assessors log in. I check my candidates and view their video evidence. Only two marks are given: a green check mark for passing and a yellow exclamation mark for insufficient. It sound easy but I have yet to test it out. At the moment I’m attending webinars for assessors, put on by the CNLA.
Ready to get certified?
Incredibly, no one at my current company is interested in getting landscape certified, but it might change now that it’s all done online. I think the changes are exciting.
Imagine the horror when I failed the tree planting and staking station for the second time. I had to wait for months to finally nail it and get certified. I had dreams about the station. To this day, I can recall all of the steps.
The long wait is now history.
If you’re not landscape industry certified, I would encourage you to try it. Companies know that certified individuals have certain basic skills and are committed to the industry. So, call the CNLA and tell them landscape pro Vas sent you. They know me well. I finished all of their donuts and begged them for free swag.
