Applications are being accepted for a new non-profit workforce development program that aims to provide a pathway for minorities that want to begin working in New Jersey’s legalized marijuana marketplace.
Founded by two New Jersey entrepreneurs, Brendon Robinson and Stanley Okoro, the Minority Cannabis Academy (MCA) is an eight-week program focused on equipping disenfranchised communities with the career skills related to the business and science of cannabis.
Thanks to the financial and professional backing of Harmony Dispensary chief executive officer Shaya Brodchandel, the first-of-its-kind program will give participants a full hands-on experience of what it’s like to work in the cannabis industry and prepare them for a wide range of positions, including as chief executive officers, store managers and cultivation directors.
“The Minority Cannabis Academy is aiming to provide exactly the kind of social equity initiatives envisioned by those that advocated for the legalization of adult use cannabis,” Brodchandel said. “At Harmony we have focused on rebuilding the communities that have long suffered from the unjust laws surrounding marijuana use, and it’s fitting that we are the lead supporters in bringing Brendon and Stanley’s vision to reality.”