Sun Prairie landscaping company Jackson’s Yard Care (JYC) introduced a snow removal training program as part of its Workforce Development initiative to increase the quality of workers in the trade.
Fifteen students participated in a week-long training program in snow removal. Jackson’s Yard Care, 922 S. Bird St., Sun Prairie, has offered a range of programs in landscaping for over a year now. The program was created after Action Jackson, owner of Jackson’s Yard Care, noticed a lack of quality employees who lacked training in the field. He hopes to boost the ability of the landscaping workforce across Wisconsin through free, hands-on training centered on safety and practicality.
The current round of programming for Jackson’s Workforce Development adds snow removal into the mix — a service many landscaping companies offer as winter approaches to round out year-round service.
Classes for the snow removal spanned a week, from Nov. 10-17, all day on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the following Monday.
Structure for classes typically goes over safety, a frequent point Jackson stresses in all programs, followed by practical exercises using equipment, a group discussion on what they learned, and a quiz.
“When you get thrown into a new trade, there’s a lot of things you don’t know,” Jackson told Madison365. “We found it best here at JYC is that we’re gonna do it differently. Our onboarding is gonna be through a program.”
Part of the program is a direct pipeline to employment at JYC. However, overall, Jackson wants to give students an opportunity anywhere they can. While he wants students to stay with him and help JYC grow as a business, his larger aim is to grow the landscaping trade through building a quality workforce that companies across Wisconsin can rely on.
On the day Madison365 attended, Nov. 12, students went over how to properly use ratchet straps to secure equipment for transportation, vehicle-mounted snow plows and the differences between standard and diesel cars.
As instruction continued, clear confidence grew as students helped others who weren’t quite understanding how to do what was being taught.
“It’s nothing like the feeling of seeing somebody gain confidence in real time,” Jackson said. “I think that’s the reason I do it.”
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
Another reason Jackson does it is to give people another chance at life. Greg Howard, who recently came home after eight years in prison, jumped at the opportunity to do something else with his life. He enrolled in the program a little under a week after he was released.
He found the environment at JYC to be a productive and positive environment to set on a path to “get my life together.”
“I don’t know everyone’s background and everybody else’s story, but y’all know mine,” Howard said. “I’ve been given a chance to do something different and something better for myself.”
Howard feels that most people in his position are discouraged from seeking new opportunities. He believes that Jackson’s push can help others like him through a quality support system that is patient and willing to help them find a new path.
The program capped off with a cumulative test to earn a certificate in snow removal on Nov. 17.
Jackson is considering running another cohort for the snow removal program before winter officially starts.
