Those of us who have been around the landscape management industry for years have noticed a rather disturbing trend. It is becoming more difficult every year to fill middle management positions. There are many reasons for this, including the law of supply and demand. Competition for these positions has increased dramatically, and two-year and four-year colleges are turning out more students interested in building a career in landscape design than they are turning out students interested in landscape management.
Our paths are clear. We have to encourage students to take a serious look at landscape management as a career opportunity, and we have to continue to develop managers up through the ranks.
Regarding students, I believe one of the challenges is overcoming a misconception about landscape management - that it does not offer the opportunities or challenges that, for example, a similar position in landscape design does. The truth is that students who aspire to be account managers in our industry have tremendous growth opportunity and, with the right training, they can earn their stripes quickly. It behooves all landscape management contractors to work with their area schools, including high schools, technical schools, and two-year and four-year schools. We need to encourage students to look at landscape management as a career opportunity and help schools develop appropriate curricula for their programs.
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