that by building relationships with other associations we can tap into those cross-over resources ,” said Roesslein .
LABOR According to Simmons , awareness of careers in sports field management is also key to addressing the ongoing labor shortages in the sports field management profession .
“ We are working on marketing / awareness campaign strategies , bringing more of our communications efforts in house for more immersive knowledge of the profession , the challenges and most importantly the benefits ,” said Simmons . “ We plan to get more messaging out to key audiences to educate the public on the importance of having qualified sports field managers maintaining fields and complexes .”
Added Straw , “ The key lies in finding ways to inform young people about the career opportunities available in this field and demonstrating the value that skilled sports field managers bring to sports organizations , collegiate athletics , parks and recreation facilities and more .”
Simmons added that the iCEV curriculum will help with these efforts , as it will allow high school students to acquire turfgrass certifications and introduce them to the profession .
“ We are confident that once turfgrass education is introduced into more high schools and career education programs , the interest in and pursuit of a career in sports field management will increase ,” she said . Straw added that SFMA has four programs specifically aimed at attracting youth to sports field management industry : SFMA 101 , a training course offering continuing education opportunities ; iCEV , a national online turfgrass curriculum providing instructional materials and certification testing for career technical educators ; Cue Career , an online platform where students learn about careers through direct interaction with professional associations ; And the chapter ambassador program , designed for chapters to engage middle school and high school students in learning about the industry .
MACHINERY HELPING TURF CARE EXPERTS ACHIEVE PERFECTION
Campey supply market leading , innovative turf care machinery worldwide , we ’ re continually researching new techniques and refining existing practices .
www . campeyturfcare . com sportsfieldmanagementonline . com February 2024 | SportsField Management
15