On the job

Heads Up Landscape Contractors has been welcoming students into its 12-week internship program for the last seven years. Looking for students studying business, landscape design, landscape management, horticulture, and other disciplines, they introduce the students to the “real world” of landscaping by giving them tasks in various areas of the business.

The Albuquerque, N.M.-based company finds students by going to PLANET’s Student Career Days, and by looking at colleges and universities that offer horticulture degrees and business minors.
“We interview numerous students, and we find the ones that are good matches, the ones that we think would make good employees, and the ones that want to live in New Mexico,” says Eddie Padilla, VP of business development at Heads Up. “We make sure they match with our culture and with our lifestyle.”

The interns help Heads Up by not only assisting with the workload, but also by providing a pool of qualified employees for the company. Several of the students end up with offer letters by the end of their internship. Padilla says they hire two or three out of 10 for management positions.

Based on the students’ interests, they could have responsibilities in sales, maintenance, or other areas of the business. The internship is full-time, and the students are paid $11 per hour for 40 hours per week.