TAMPA - Six refugees from Burma and one from Sudan recently earned certificates in landscaping which will help them begin new careers in their new homeland.

Larry’s Garden Plants Inc. of Tampa provided training for the students through the Lutheran Services Florida Refugee Employment Program. The company previously offered a similar program in their Jacksonville location, working with Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida. Timi ONeil and John Whittenton of Larry’s attended the program graduation ceremony in the Tampa Bay Region office and presented certificates to the students.

Larry’s arranged four weeks of classes, with each week including both classroom and field work on different days. The students did some of their landscaping work for local churches who help sponsor refugees.

The students had little or no knowledge of English going into the class, according to Isabel Chamberlain, Vocational Planner for LSF. But the entire class curriculum was offered in English, with the exception of safety regulations, which were translated into Burmese and Karen by Tha Pin Lo, Program Assistant at LSF. Through the class the students picked up English as they learned the tools and instructions necessary for landscaping.

After the students completed the training, LSF staff helped them with filling out job applications. Larry’s will serve as a job reference for the students, who were mainly farmers in their former countries and in the refugee camps where they lived before coming to the U.S.

The seven graduates of the first class were: Hti Doh, Aizeldin Mohamed, Eh Mwe, Bah Reh, Ro Shena, Gro To and Say Kue Wah.

All the students in this pilot program were Burmese or Sudanese, but the program can be adapted for clients from other countries as well.

LSF’s Refugee Employment Program is open to refugees who have been in the United States less than five years. The program includes short-term training classes, on-the-job training, and help with job search and applications.

Anyone with a landscaping business who is interested in the training or in hiring one of our graduates should contact Isabel Chamberlain at 813-676-9436 or mchamberlain@lsfnet.org.