Abstract:
This paper examines the importance of continued learning through industry certification programs from three points of view: (1) faculty, (2) students, and (3) the horticultural industry. Faculty members can avail themselves of these educational and service opportunities by providing their expertise to continue learning beyond formal education. Certification programs are very important to the horticultural industry in order to update the actively involved personnel. Changes in the practices in the industry bring about the need for changes in training materials, of which some are now approaching being outdated. Further, these training materials should be in the context of the adult learners' experiences. Research shows that involvement in updating manuals and providing review sessions for certification candidates in the context of the candidates' experience has improved their passing percentages. While this article is written for faculty involved in horticultural education, the principles and techniques can be applied to any curricula in technical education.
Keywords:
formal education, specialized programs
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