Spring is a busy time in the landscape industry. There's cleaning up from winter, then bed edging and mulching, and it seems that each year the mowing starts earlier and earlier. It's easy to become overwhelmed and frantic to get it all done hoping to avoid falling behind schedule. There just never seems to be enough time for training. For new employees, this time of year can seem chaotic, the work ahead insurmountable, and the overall experience becomes disheartening as they try to learn-on-the-fly.
But we do things differently here at Klausing Group, we've found over the years that taking the time early in the season to train people and introduce them to our systems saves a lot of headaches down the road. We explain in our training events not only how to perform a task safely and correctly, but we also explain why we do things the way we do them. Detailing the horticultural best practices, safety precautions, customer service aspects, and environmental concerns provides deeper understanding of the skills we must learn. This lets our employees know we value education and knowledge.
Klausing Group's annual Spring Into Action training provides the opportunity for each employee to get hands-on training and in depth coaching. New employees gain confidence, and existing employees get to share their experience and insight. The training is set up to match the Landscape Industry Certification (LIC) testing through the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). This means that after the employees have been trained and coached, they then perform on the machines while being observed and scored. The trainer and the trainee review the score and talk about what went right and what can be improved. Training in this manner lets our employees know we care about professionalism, and it is their first step towards preparing to become LIC themselves.
Spring Into Action training events usually take half a day, and afterward we celebrate the start of the new season with food and drinks. We also provide a company update over lunch. We look back at the previous year highlighting our achievements; we outline the strategies and goals for the current year; and we look ahead at the company's strategic vision for the future. Transparent company updates are a different kind of training. Creating a shared vision allows active participation at all levels, creates confidence in working with the company, and lays out path where employees can see their future and chart their own career growth.
Spring Into Action is just one training event. Our employees receive 60+ hours of training throughout the course of a year. If you're looking for both personal and professional growth opportunities, call us at 859-254-0762 or apply by filling out this form.