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Gatineau’s CÉGEP de l’Outaouais is aiming at becoming the first post-secondary institution in Quebec to train technologists and technicians to work in the cannabis industry.

The CÉGEP has teamed with the medical cannabis producer Hydropothecary in Masson-Angers, which is providing the workplace data and analysis to demonstrate the growing need for trained workers, said the CÉGEP’s director of studies, Jacqueline LaCasse.

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“We approached them to see what their needs were. We explained what our graduates can do. They saw immediately what was needed,” said Lacasse.

Hydropothecary now has about 120 employees, said director of human resources Andrée St-Cyr. Workers range from PhD-level scientists to manual labourers.

“We’re currently hiring between two and three people a week. We’ll probably wrap up the year with close to 300 employees,” said St-Cyr, who expects about 35 to 40 per cent of workers will fall into the technician and technologist category. “After this year, there will be a constant need. The industry is literally booming.”