TORONTO – The Canadian Cannabis Retailers’ Union (CCRU) and the North American College of Pharmaceutical Technology (NACPT) today announced the launch of the ‘Cannabis Fundamentals and Retail Training’ program (the “course”) at NACPT’s campus in Mississauga, Ontario. Developed by CCRU, the course is a comprehensive program designed and developed to train Canada’s budtenders and store owners and managers of the future. The two-day course is Canada’s most advanced program of its kind and includes thorough information and training on the safe sale and distribution of cannabis in Ontario and across the country. Information on enrolment can be found at https://bit.ly/2RJYp2l .
The CCRU is the preeminent cannabis retail industry association in Canada. The CCRU is dedicated to the enactment of a uniform set of safe, responsible, and consumer-friendly cannabis retailing practices across all provinces, territories, and municipalities. CCRU developed the course with this goal in mind and to educate retail industry participants to the highest standards. Commensurately, NACPT is the Canadian leader in cannabis industry training and was the first Canadian college to receive Government of Canada approval to offer post-secondary diplomas in cannabis production and quality control and assurance. NACPT recently won the “Best Cultivation Educator” Award from the GrowUp Conference and Expo in which it was chosen amongst seven leading cannabis education providers across North America. The launch of the course represents the synergistic collaboration of two of Canada’s leading cannabis organizations in this regard as a first-of-its-kind hand-on training program for the new retail industry.
The course involves up to 14 hours of in-class education over two days, including a unique mock-retail training component to reinforce practical problem solving and customer service skills. Upon completion, students are able work effectively in a cannabis retail environment and apply best practices in safety, harm reduction, and customer service. This knowledge enables those already working in cannabis retail stores, or those new to the industry to speak and act intelligently and to properly educate consumers on making informed purchase decisions for cannabis and its derivatives. Initially to be offered at NACPT’s Mississauga location, future plans involve expanding the course to locations across Canada.
“As sales of cannabis continue to grow and many new retail stores are set to open, there is a strong need for thorough and practical training that hasn’t been available to date to those interested in sales, customer service, and management roles. We are proud to join forces with NACPT as Canada’s leading cannabis industry educator to offer this ground-breaking training”, stated Andy Deonarine, President, CEO & Director of CCRU.
“We are excited to offer this advanced retail training program in partnership with the CCRU. The course represents a natural extension of our cannabis industry education focus into the retail domain. We look forward to offering the program to students who wish to become the industry’s leading budtenders and store managers and owners,” stated Rathi Paramasamy, President & CEO of NACPT.
About the CCRU
The CCRU is the voice of the cannabis retail industry. As advocates for safe and reliable cannabis distribution, the CCRU’s goal is to represent retailers across Canada and to enlighten and educate industry participants on how to responsibly sell cannabis to create safer stores and communities. The CCRU’s member programs include best practices and education for the safe and responsible operation of their stores that keeps product out of the hands of minors, promotes effective principles of harm reduction and community protection, and allows retailers to provide a superior experience to their customers. Further information on the CCRU’s mission and programs can be found at http://www.ccru.ca/
About NACPT
Established in 2009, The North American College of Pharmaceutical Technology is a leading registered private career college providing effective training for jobs in the cannabis, pharmaceutical, bio-pharmaceutical, medical device, and edibles, cosmetic and related healthcare industries. In 2018, NACPT was the first Canadian college to offer Government of Canada approved post-secondary diploma programs in Industrial Cannabis Production Technology Cannabis Quality Control and Quality Assurance. Additionally, NACPT offers certificate programs in Cannabis QA, Facility Management, Head of Security, Master Grower, Process and System Validation, Analytical Testing, Sanitation, EU- GMP, GPP, Audit and Inspection, and many more. NACPT’s staff include more than 30 experts across the range of cannabis and pharmaceutical industry disciplines . Further information on NACPT and its programs can be found at https://nacptpharmacollege.com/
