With the start of Recreational Marijuana Sales in New Yorkare a set of groups seek to educate future entrepreneurs.

A group that provides industry training is looking for residents who want to upskill and train to participate in this potentially multi-billion dollar industry.

Why is?

Partly state-funded by the non-profit association Institute for Personnel Development and Cornell University‘s School of Industrial & Labor Relations, the New York State Cannabis Workforce Initiative (CWI). educated about 250 people on the fundamentals of the cannabis industry since this past fall, said David Serrano, CWI’s project manager and founder and head of business development for harvest 360 – a consulting firm for marijuana entrepreneurs.

CWI takes a two-pronged approach to cannabis education with expertise from Cornell and the Workforce Development Institute, while Cornell provides information on workers’ rights and the legal responsibilities of employers, reported Syracuse.com.

“I am very grateful to live in a state where our elected officials see a need for this education and are addressing it in a way no other state has ever addressed cannabis and workers,” Serrano said. “That, to me, is providing workforce equity for people who come from (…) communities that have been negatively impacted by the War on Drugs.”

Currently, the group offers a 15-hour training program that covers the basics of the marijuana industry for beginners, Serrano explained. The program, free to all New Yorkers, provides insight into how the supply chain works from seed to sale, basic plant science and labor laws.

As reported by Syracuse.com, training is available through in-person classes, live online sessions, and self-paced online classes, said Serrano, who will begin a 10-week course over Zoom on Jan. 25.

“This is not a comprehensive skills development course, but rather an educational overview of the possibilities,” concluded Serrano. “That is ours…