CannaWorkforce has been awarded a $217,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Labor's EARN (Employment Advancement Right Now) program for its 2026 training programs. This continued funding supports CannaWorkforce's mission to develop comprehensive education programs that prepare unemployed and underemployed individuals for careers in the state's growing cannabis industry. CannaWorkforce has achieved a 94% placement rate for its successful learners, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in connecting trained professionals with industry opportunities.
Founded in 2023 by biotech workforce development innovator Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, PhD, CannaWorkforce has partnered with Jacquie Cohen Roth, MS, Founder/CEO of CannabizMD (MBE/SBE/DBE) and nonprofit The Tea Pad Foundation LTD , to create a targeted curriculum designed to equip Maryland's cannabis workforce with critical skills. CannaWorkforce is the recipient of the nation's first state-funded cannabis industry workforce development program.
Dr. Kennedy and Cohen Roth met while graduate students in the inaugural cohort of The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy's Master of Science in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics. Their collaboration brings a wealth of cannabis science and policy expertise to this education initiative.
"This EARN funding enables CannaWorkforce, Inc. to continue to train Maryland's unemployed and underemployed individuals to become educated in specific fields of cannabis employment opportunities," said Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, Founder and CEO of CannaWorkforce, Inc. "Our entry-level educational opportunities provide employees entering the expanding regulated cannabis industry with a clear pathway to progressively higher-paying positions."
"Being part of CannaWorkforce's training program is often a life-changing experience for our learners," said Jacquie Cohen Roth, VP of Education and Strategic Partnerships. "We witness individuals transform not just their career prospects, but their confidence and sense of possibility. This program opens doors that many never knew existed, providing meaningful pathways to economic stability and professional growth in an industry that values their potential. Our 94% placement rate speaks to the real impact we're making in people's lives."
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cannabizmd.com/
