Workforce Development

Brookings, S.D. – September 16, 2026 -- Northern Tool + Equipment has launched its fourth annual student vehicle build program at Flandreau Indian School, tasking 14 career and technical education (CTE) students with transforming a 1976 Ford F-350 utility truck into a rolling showcase of skilled-trades careers for display at the 2027 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Build IV marks the program's first placement at a tribal school and its first gender-balanced student team

Half of the Flandreau Indian School Build Team is female, a program first for Northern Tool's four-year-old initiative. Students will handle welding, fabrication, automotive repair, paint, bodywork and design work on the truck throughout the 2026-2027 school year, working directly alongside industry professionals rather than watching contractors complete the work.

Atlanta – September 16, 2026 -- Granum has relaunched Greenius, its employee training platform for landscaping and arboriculture businesses, with new native mobile apps and bilingual course content in English and Spanish.

New hires can start training within five minutes via QR code sign-up

The rebuilt platform lets landscaping companies onboard a new hire by scanning a QR code, placing them into training content in under five minutes. The system draws on a library of more than 200 purpose-built courses covering landscaping and tree care operations.

Standardized playlists aim to keep crew output consistent across job sites

Businesses can assign pre-built, role-specific course playlists so that every new hire receives identical training regardless of which crew or manager brought them on. Granum says the goal is uniform output quality across properties, independent of on-site supervision.

Tokyo – September 14, 2026 -- Nasdaq-listed LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) has secured a three-year contract renewal from the City of Nagoya to operate the "Nagoya School Club Activities Human Resources Bank," extending a program it has run since April 2022 into a new term beginning September 14, 2026.

Nagoya renews Leifras deal to staff after-school programs across 16 wards

The contract covers the recruitment, training, and matching of instructors for "new sports and cultural activities" offered to grades four through six at municipal elementary schools across Nagoya's 16 wards. The initiative forms part of Japan's broader shift of school club management from school-based staffing to outsourced, community-based operation, a transition driving demand for vetted, professionally trained local instructors.