CLCA Through The Decades

Since the very beginning, CLCA leaders have known that for the industry to succeed it must have a well-rounded program of education. An early goal was to establish an accredited apprentiship program, and association members worked on and off for decades to bring that about. But their efforts were thwarted at every turn, especially by union interests, according to association leaders who were interviewed for CLCA's 50th Anniversary celebration.

"The fact that we couldn't get apprenticeship off the ground led to the certification program," recalls Charles Nunley, a founding member of the certification committee who has remained active in the program since its inception in 1979. At that time, CLCA ban constructing its Certified Landscape Technician program (CLT).

"Apprenticeship is fraught with red tape, while certification was something that was immediately accessible," says Nunley.

Some members balked at the idea initially. According to Nunley, "It took us awhile, about four years [to put together the program]. There were some fears about losing people if they became certified. In my view, about 95 percent of them stayed with their companies." Nunley, who served as the association's president in 19, has assisted at every CLT test since its inception.

The CLT "Dry Run" - the trial to evaluate the new program's effectiveness - was held in Santa Rosa in October 1983. Six people took the 13-phase, hands-on exam, which took two days to complete. Following the "Dry Run," the certification committee met to analyze the data and procedures. The program went "live" the following spring, producing the industry's first dozen CLTs, including James Keener, who had severed as CLCA president in 1979, and had appointed the mmittee's first members. Keener had been originally slated to serve as a judge during the first test, but switched roles when one of the examinees was unable to attend.

Then-committee chairman Jerry Lambert described the goals of the program as being, "to improve and upgrade the status of the landscape industry through its work force; improve the quality of work by technicians; improve the image of the Landscape Technician, and to certify qualified employees so they will be able to train [others]."

The progm was eventually sold to ALCA, spreading across the United States and is now the international standard for professionalism in the landscape industry.

"Back in '79, we thought about how far this would go," says Nunley. "We never planned for it to go nationwide, but we knew it could happen.

"What is unique about the CLT is that it is a hands-on exam, as opposed to just a written test. And it's tough. But in spite of its toughness, it's still a basic test that determines whether a landscape technician has aell-rounded knowledge of the industry. Prior to certification there was no way to measure that."

CLCA Programs

• Certified Landscape Technician program
• Landscape Industry Show
• Women's Auxiliary
• Landscape Educational Advancement Foundation