The campus at Cal Poly Pomona is quieter now. The cheering of more than 800 college students is stilled, the backhoes and skid steers are gone, the planters are built and the trees and shrubs are in the ground as the 33rd annual Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) Student Career Days (SCD) wrapped up another successful event.
The three-day event, March 26-29, offered students in arboriculture, horticulture, and landscape design the opportunity to test their knowledge and skills in front of their peers, PLANET judges, and more than 100 green industry professionals.
Events included: sales presentation, landscape maintenance operation, annual/perennial identification, business management, turf & turf pest identification, pavers installation, landscape plant installation, and wood construction.
“Student Career Days is such an important learning opportunity for students through workshops, networking and competitive events. It also builds a student’s self esteem and confidence in their abilities. Sponsors like STIHL are vital to the continued success of SCD. Without such an event, the opportunities for students to learn, grow and develop into tomorrow’s leaders in the green industry are greatly diminished,” said Rex Bishop, instructor and department chair of Environmental Horticulture at Chattahoochee Technical College (formerly North Metro Technical College), Atlanta, Ga.
“The students remember the sponsors and those companies that are greatly involved. They have long memories that will be reflected in the future as they become leaders in the industry. Sponsors play an important role in helping these students learn and become confident as they venture into their careers,” he added.
STIHL was again the Platinum Sponsor for the event, which saw BrighamYoungUniversity’s Idaho campus take top honors and a $5,000 check from STIHL, followed by ColoradoStateUniversity and ChattahoocheeTechnicalCollege.
Several other awards were given by STIHL. Winner of the STIHL Walt Peeples Award for the school showing the most spirit throughout the event was ColumbusStateCommunity College out of Columbus, Ohio. Winner of the STIHL Academic Excellence Foundation Landscaping Scholarship was Gregory Steele of host school Cal Poly Pomona. STIHL and Ariens teamed up to bring a group of qualifiers from the FFA to also compete in the events.
Although the competition is what the students were most excited about, it was evident that this year’s event held special meaning for those looking for jobs in a down economy.
“I was really impressed with the level of excitement that was evident at the Career Fair,” said Roger Phelps, manager of promotional communications for STIHL Inc. “There was an overall spirit of optimism among the attendees that runs contrary to everything we see and hear in the media these days. I think the career fair could be summed up by the sign I saw outside one company’s booth which said ‘Hiring Today.’”
About STIHL Inc.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the world’s largest selling brand of chain saws and produces a full line of powerful, lightweight, and versatile handheld outdoor power equipment for homeowners and professional users. STIHL products are sold through servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast— not mass merchants. STIHL products sold through U.S. STIHL dealers are for distribution in the U.S. only. For more information or for the name of the closest STIHL retailer call toll free 1-800-GO STIHL (1-800-467-8445) or visit the dealer locator on STIHL's Web site at www.stihlusa.com.
STIHL is proud to support the activities of the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund), the Professional Landcare Network’s (PLANET) Student Career Days and Green Industry Conference, the Tree Care Industry (TCI) Association’s Student Skills Competition, and the National FFA Organization Nursery and Landscape Career Development Event (NLCDE).
For information on job opportunities with STIHL Inc., please go to http://www.stihlcareers.com/.
STIHL is an EEO and drug-free work environment.
About PLANET SCD
PLANET Student Career Days, an annual three-day competitive, networking and recruiting event, attracts college and university students from around the country to compete in interior and exterior horticulture and landscape activities. An all-day career fair gave the students the opportunity to meet prospective employers in the industry and discuss employment opportunities. The gathering is arguably the nation’s best confab for putting together young landscape professionals with the industry’s top companies. Next year’s event will be held at Chattahoochee Technical College in Atlanta, GA April 8-11, 2010.
http://www.landcarenetwork.org/ / www.stihlusa.com / http://www.ffa.org/
