Supporting industry adopt, implement and scale innovative tools, processes, practices and resources to raise awareness of, attract, retain, and develop people to work in agriculture and food
The Recruitment, Retention & Innovative Skills Training (RRIST) Program is a three-year, up to $7M program under the Agriculture and Food Workforce Development Initiative (AWDI). AWDI is funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement. The initiative is a $15M fund designed to support BC’s agriculture industry to provide a stable and increasing food supply through targeted efforts to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce to meet the labour needs of the industry. AWDI is delivered by IAF.
Program Goals
The program aims to enhance the agriculture and agri-food industry in BC by supporting the adoption of industry-led and focused initiatives best suited to address specific labour and skills training needs. It will assist organizations and partnerships in recruiting, hiring, and training domestic workers. Working in alignment with the workforce strategies and labour initiatives, the goals of this program include:
- Adoption of labour resources, tools, and processes by producers and processors
- Developing partnerships that attract, train, and support people to work in agriculture, seafood and food processing
- Piloting of new or innovative labour resources, tools, and/or processes for agriculture, seafood and food processing
Program Objectives
Successful project proposals should contribute to the following program objectives:
- Adoption or establishment of new innovative training programs to recruit and train domestic workers
- Increased participation of specific populations within the agriculture workforce (E.g. youth, new immigrants, people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, individuals exiting the criminal justice system, or other populations facing barriers to employment)
- Improved awareness, applicability and outcomes of applied skills development and training programs and/or curriculum for the food and agriculture sector
- Increased awareness of opportunities and pathways for entry into food and agriculture
- Improved employer/farm manager management capacity for recruitment and retention and workplace improvements
Applications
This program is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
