Agriculture Canada has introduced an incentive program with hopes of uniting young people and the agriculture sector.
Funded by the federal government, the price tag of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Youth Employment and Skills Program rings in at $3.75 million.
Funding goes to organizations and businesses to cover the salaries of agricultural interns.
“We are inviting all the farmers, producers and agri-food processors, so any business or NGO who are working in the agriculture sector to apply,” Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says.
Approved projects that hire Indigenous youth are eligible to receive 80 per cent funding to a maximum of $14,000.
Organizations that hire youth who face barriers, such as single parents, those living in remote communities and those who have run afoul of the judicial system, are eligible to receive an additional $5,000.
Non-Indigenous employers are eligible for 50 per cent of total costs.
Applications will be reviewed and the process usually takes about 50 days.
Those who apply will be served on a first come, first served basis.
Organizers are required to provide youth with career-related work experiences that must last a minimum of four months.
The projects are to be completed by Mar. 31, 2020.
“I think everybody benefits,” Bibeau says. “We know the agriculture sector faces a labour shortage, so they have a harder time to find employees. On the other side, young people, sometimes it’s their first chance to have a job and develop new skills.”
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture states that Canadian farms are currently facing a labour shortage of 52,000 positions.
When the positions are filled, it is usually with international agriculture workers.
The incentive project was announced on Monday.