GLASE Team Uncovers Gaps in Greenhouse Education in New Report
Students monitoring plants in the classroom. | Photo courtesy of GLASE
The Empowering Greenhouse Resiliency with an Optimized Workforce (E-GROW) project team has publicly shared the results of its first year of research in a new report. Entitled the “Gaps in CEA Education Report,” it describes the scope of formal and non-formal CEA and ag tech education available to U.S. middle and high schoolers in 2025. The development of this report included literature review and a survey of the project’s initial Advisory Group. These research mechanisms highlight the largest gaps in CEA education across the four U.S. states addressed by the E-GROW project: New York, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Virginia.
“The E-GROW courses and tools we are developing will democratize access to the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for careers in the CEA industry,” says Gretchen Schimelpfenig, executive director of Cornell University’s GLASE consortium.
While some programs, such as New York Sun Works, Virginia’s GO TEC, and Pennsylvania’s AgWorks have introduced CEA and ag tech concepts into classrooms through courses for credit and workforce pathway programs, efforts remain fragmented, teacher-dependent, and geographically uneven. In rural areas, barriers include a lack of certified educators, limited access to resources like funding for on-campus infrastructure or tools, and the absence of standardized curricula and certification programs to prepare youth for CEA and ag tech careers. In some cases, educators must create their own materials with little centralized support or coordination.
To read the full report, go here: https://glase.org/industry-news/glase-teams-uncover-gaps-in-u-s-greenhouse-education/.
