Alison McMahon founded Cannabis at Work when she saw a glaring hole in Canada’s cannabis sector: the lack of staffing agencies serving the now-thriving industry.
“We’ve seen this increase in job postings in this sector and it’s just the tip of the iceberg. It will be interesting to see how companies bring their talent into this industry and how this sector responds to the education gap that exists right now.”
McMahon thinks that finding qualified, competent staff, “is going to be a challenge. Anyone in theory can work a retail job but we’re talking about cannabis and how new the substance is to communities, and corporate social responsibility element that has to be in place. Getting staff to a point where they can deliver on a brand in a very public way.” McMahon tells Business of Cannabis, that Cannabis at Work is Canada’s only staffing agency focused on cannabis. “It’s our specialty to identify and bring talent into this sector, also to help with the skill development, workforce development side of the equation as well.” The one piece of advice McMahon has for individuals wanting to get into the industry? “Research the industry. Know the ACMPRs. Be able to have a conversation about the industry even if you haven’t participated yet.”
Interview conducted by Harrison Jordan, Special Contributor, Business of Cannabis
