Resource Innovation Institute and The Ohio State University launch first national CEA training certificate for design and construction professionals

The Resource Innovation Institute and the Ohio Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at The Ohio State University announced the launch a national professional development certificate designed specifically for designers, construction professionals and building system technicians working in controlled environment agriculture facilities.

The GrowBuild program’s inaugural offering, CEA Building & Biosystems: Horticulture Essentials, provides a comprehensive 16-hour curriculum covering plant science fundamentals, cultivation systems, climate control technologies and crop-specific requirements.

The self-paced online course culminates in a Certificate of Completion issued by The Ohio State University — the first step toward earning an industry credential for design and construction professionals in CEA.

“This training is different because it’s not designed for growers — there are already excellent programs and college curricula for that,” said Rob Eddy, horticulturist at RII and course instructor. “This is for the design and construction industry and tradespeople — electricians, plumbers, electronics techs, engineers, HVAC techs, computer techs — to learn horticulture essentials. It allows them to expand their existing skills into a new industry.”

The curriculum was developed with guidance from an advisory council of industry leaders, including representatives from ARCO/Murray, Vertical Harvest Farms, Colorado State University, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Harrisburg University and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council.

“This program fills a real gap in the industry. ARCO helped shape the content on construction and building systems to help professionals understand how CEA facilities perform in the field. Graduates come in with the context needed to make smarter decisions around systems, sequencing and coordination from day one,” said Macartan Sullivan, vice president at ARCO/Murray.

Chieri Kubota, professor and director of the Ohio Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at OSU, serves as course coordinator.

“This partnership exemplifies how academic institutions and industry organizations can collaborate to address workforce development needs in emerging agricultural sectors,” she said.

RII anticipates increased demand for credentialed designers, builders and mechanics as larger vegetable greenhouse production clusters are built in the coming decade to increase domestic food production, job growth and community resilience.

While AI may enable larger greenhouses without a linear increase in horticulture growers, the maintenance and repair workforce will grow linearly with greenhouse area, especially as robotics and automated systems become commercially available.

Program details

• Course: CEA Building & Biosystems: Horticulture Essentials

• Format: Self-paced online, approximately 16 hours

• Price: $799 (discounts available for RII members)

• Certificate: Certificate of Completion issued by The Ohio State University

• Platform: Canvas (OSU’s learning management system)

For more information and to register, visit resourceinnovation.org/certificate.