New Internship Search Tool Connects Students to Practical Job Experience

Jennifer Zurko

Seed Your Future launched its new free online Horticulture Careers Internship Search Tool to help students find internships across the broad diversity of the horticulture profession. This is the newest resource from Seed Your Future, a coalition of more than 200 partners—including horticulture companies, gardening organizations, schools, colleges, universities, public gardens, youth organizations, nonprofit organizations and individual advocates—united in their mission to promote horticulture and careers working with plants.

Finding enough qualified candidates for open positions is the number one issue of concern for employers across the horticulture and “green-collar” industry, according to research conducted by Seed Your Future. Critically, only 61% of the annual job openings across the industry are expected to be filled annually.

The online tool, SeedYourFuture.org/internships, is unique in both its inclusion of internships across the art, science, technology and business of plant careers; and in the three ways for site visitors to search for their future internship—by job category, by employer and by state.

“Students need to know what is available for internships, this new website shows the breadth of choices in horticulture. I cannot imagine a student who would not be impressed with all the choices,” said Dr. Mary Hockenberry Meyer, University of Minnesota.

The Horticulture Careers Internship Search Tool is just the first of the new resources Seed Your Future plans to launch in 2020 as a direct result of the summit.

“Internships are the number one experience that employers look for on a resume. The Seed Your Future Horticulture Careers Internship Search Tool is a great way to find the internship that will help students get the career they want,” said Dr. John Dole, North Carolina State University. “Future resources include a scholarship search tool, a recruitment toolkit for horticulture and green industry training and education programs, and industry promotional materials to open peoples’ eyes to the remarkable power of plants and the rewards of careers in the green-collar industry.” GT