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 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.

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Program Goals

The program aims to enhance the agriculture and 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, retention and workplace improvements

Approach

Program Structure

The RRIST program is designed to support projects that address labor market needs in the agriculture and food sectors. Applicants are strongly encouraged to employ a collaborative approach to their projects.

Projects must have a clear implementation plan and be time-bound, with an initial project duration of up to 12-months. Project proposals should demonstrate sustainability and outline how they will achieve their objectives and deliverables without relying on future funding.

Multi-disciplinary collaborations are strongly encouraged, and all activities must be conducted within the province of BC. Each partner’s relevant role should be clearly described in the application.

Funding is not intended for research projects. Projects evaluating or researching the labour force/market will not be considered.

Funding Structure

Funding is available to industry to support activities in the following areas:

  • Recruitment
  • Retention
  • Skilled Workforce Development Models
Project Funding Limits
Cost-Shared Ratio
Maximum $250,000 70% of eligible project costs

What does the maximum project funding amount mean?

This is the maximum amount of funding you may receive through the program. The maximum amount of funding you can receive through RRIST is $250,000. If your total project costs are greater than $250,000 you can still apply but will only be reimbursed a maximum of $250,000.

What’s a cost-shared ratio?

The cost-sharing ratio represents the proportion of eligible Total Project Costs contributed by both the applicant and the funder. In this case, 30% of the eligible costs would be paid by the applicant with the remaining 70% paid by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (via IAF).

The stacking of funds from other government programs is allowed up to 100% of project costs, provided other funds are not from other programs delivered by IAF.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants

To be considered eligible for this program, an applicant must be based in the province of British Columbia, and must be one of the following:

  • Agriculture, food and/or seafood industry organizations
  • Indigenous groups, organizations, and communities engaged in the agriculture, seafood and/or food industry
  • Local governments engaged in the agriculture, seafood and/or food industry
  • A partnership of producers, processors, non-profit organizations, industry associations, employer organizations, and/or Indigenous groups, organizations, or communities

Please note:

  • Only organizations/communities are eligible to receive funding. Individual producers or processors are not eligible to apply individually, however two or more producers/processors may apply in partnership (there must be a lead applicant who applies on their behalf).
  • All applicants must be legal entities that are able to enter into a contractual agreement for the transfer of program funds.
  • Academic institutions are not eligible applicants but may support or participate in a project that is lead by an eligible applicant.

Eligible Activities and Expenditures

The following activities and costs are eligible within each RRIST activity area. However, other activities and costs aligned with the program goals and objectives may be considered.

  • Develop and lead new or innovative approaches to raise awareness of and promote in-demand food and agriculture careers, job opportunities, and associated skills and training programs amongst youth and adults
  • Development, delivery and/or adoption of tools, resources, communications strategies, or technologies that facilitate worker recruitment, retention and/or coordination of seasonal workers
  • Develop, pilot, and/or delivery of skills and training programs and delivery models that address industry identified gaps, employer, and/or worker needs, and are directly tied to current or potential job opportunities or to advancement in the sector
  • Develop and/or deliver employer or management education and training activities to support innovative approaches and best practices in recruitment, retention, human resource development, and/or workplace improvements
  • Create partnerships between businesses, industry associations and/or agencies that support employment for populations facing barriers to employment and/or advance equity, diversity and inclusion within the agriculture and food workforce (e.g. youth, new immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, people exiting the criminal justice system, etc.)*
  • Pilot initiatives that reduce an identified barrier to participation in the workforce and/or promote retention (e.g. transportation, translation, childcare, flexible scheduling, etc.)
  • Industry led initiatives to develop and pilot new or innovative approaches and/or adoption of practices that address identified labour market challenges, improve labour efficiencies, address skills shortages, promote best practices in human resource development, and/or other workplace improvements

*Must demonstrate appropriate supports and resources in place for the population or community being employed.

Ineligible Participants, Activities and Expenditures

The following participants, activities and expenses are not eligible to be funded under RRIST. This list is not exhaustive and is meant to be used as a guideline.

Ineligible Participants

  • Individual producers or processors (may apply as lead as part of a partnership)
  • Academic institutions (may be part of a partnership in a project led by an eligible applicant)
  • Non-agricultural or food individuals or groups

Ineligible Activities and Expenditures

  • Activities not directly related to domestic agricultural and food workforce development (including Temporary Foreign Workers – TFWs)
  • Projects targeting recruitment or retention of temporary foreign workers
  • In-kind expenses or costs
  • GST and other taxes/credits reimbursed to applicant
  • Any costs incurred prior to project approval (retroactive costs)
  • Requests for funding that are not project-based, and which are dependent upon future funding. Individual projects must have defined start and finish dates, and not be part of an applicant’s day-to-day operations (i.e., employee wages)
  • All costs associated with employee housing, relocation or any other employer benefits/wages
  • Benefit to only one employer; Assistance to a single employer may only be considered in situations where 1) the applicant represents a majority of a sector; and 2) any resulting competitive advantage experienced by the employer is incidental to broader benefit gained by the labour market
  • Capital, equipment or operational expenses
  • Travel costs that are not related to implementing the project or presenting results
  • Duplicate and/or replace programs or services already provided in BC
  • Duplicate projects, information already available in BC
  • Assist business/industry with the launch of new products or product development
  • Activities that address union-management collective bargaining issue(s)

Applications

Important Dates

Applicants are required to complete a two-step applications process.

  1. Expression of Interest (EOI): Starting on December 4, 2024, applicants can submit an EOI on the IAF Client Portal. EOIs will be accepted until December 23, 2024, at 4 PM PT.
  2. Full Application: Following EOI review, only those with successful EOIs will be invited to apply. IAF will send out invitations to apply in January 2025. For more information on the review process, see the Review and Adjudication section below.

December 4, 2024 – EOI open
December 23, 2024 – EOI close
January 2025 – IAF will start sending invitations to apply
Upon approval – Project start
February 28, 2026 – All projects complete

Application Process

The purpose of the EOI is to determine the eligibility of your organization for funding and the eligibility of the project concept. Applicants may provide supplementary materials in support of their EOI submission (e.g. letters of support, CV’s, quotes).

IAF staff are available to answer questions regarding eligible activities, costs and/or the application process. Applicants can contact rrist@iafbc.ca with any questions about the program or to receive support in developing their applications.

Applicants are encouraged to include only activities they are confident will be completed on time and within budget limits.

Applicants can apply through the IAF Client Portal. The application process will generally consist of:

If you’ve applied for IAF-delivered funding in the past year (since January 2023) you already have an account and you’re all set! Please ensure your contact details and organization information is up to date.

If you don’t have an account, don’t wait to start this process – it can take up to two business days to validate your organization!

Creating an account and registering your organization is simple:

  1. Create a personal profile (name and email address)
  2. Provide organization information, including:
    • Name
    • Contact details
    • Type or organization
    • BC ID / CRA numbers, or a file number provided and recognized by the provincial government for organizations where BC ID or CRA numbers are not applicable
    • Primary contact (if this isn’t you)
    • and more

Starting on December 4, 2024, select Recruitment, Retention, and Innovative Skills Training (RRIST) Program from the Funding Opportunities section of the IAF Client Portal and provide:

  • Applicant type (examples: Producer, Local Government, Indigenous Community, etc.)
  • Project name
  • Proposed start and end dates
  • Project summary
  • Project goals and objectives
  • Project benefits
  • Project costs and budget
  • And more

IAF staff are available to answer questions regarding eligible activities, costs and/or the EOI process. IAF may also contact applicants for additional information or clarification to assess their EOI. Applicants can contact rrist@iafbc.ca with any questions about the program or to receive support in developing their EOI.

IMPORTANT: EOI submitted to the wrong program or after the due date will not be reviewed. Remember to click “save and close” and “submit”.

Following the review of EOIs, successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application. The purpose of the full application is to solicit all information required for funding decision.

If you’re invited by IAF to complete a full applications, visit to IAF Client Portal and complete the new ‘Full Application’ section on the EOI to provide:

  • Project start & end dates
  • Detailed project description, need/issue and project objectives
  • Description of key activities/outcomes, who will undertake work and timeline
  • Intended benefits and impact
  • Partnerships and communications plan
  • Funding request and detailed project budget
  • And more

IMPORTANT: Applications submitted to the wrong program or after the due date will not be reviewed. Remember to click “save and close” and “submit”.

IAF staff are available to answer any program questions or assist with technical difficulties throughout the application process. Applicants can contact rrist@iafbc.ca with questions or to receive support in developing their application.

Need help with IAF’s Client Portal?

We’ve created a number of tutorials and FAQs about the IAF Client Portal to help you navigate this resource successfully.

Review and Adjudication

Expression of Interest Review

All EOIs submitted through the IAF Client Portal will be reviewed by the IAF Team. This review entails:

  • Organization/applicant eligibility check
  • Initial review of application completeness
  • Confirmation of alignment with program eligibility
  • Project/budget eligibility check
  • Evaluation against the RRIST Evaluation Criteria (see Evaluation Criteria below)

EOIs will be reviewed by IAF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and successful EOIs will be invited to submit a full application.
IAF will review EOIs on an ongoing basis and anticipates notifying applicants of decision beginning in January 2025. IAF will act in a timely manner to provide EOI decisions and expects all decisions within 8 weeks of submission.

Only those EOIs that meet the evaluation criteria threshold will be invited to complete a full application. Applicants will be notified by email of Expression of Interest results via the IAF Client Portal.

EOIs that are not successful will not be brought forward for any future application intakes. Should another intake occur, applicants will need to re-apply for future consideration. All adjudication decisions are final.

Should an invitation to apply be extended, applicants will have 10 days to complete the full application.

Application Review

All full applications submitted through the IAF Client Portal will be screened by the IAF Team. This review entails:

  • Organization/applicant eligibility check
  • Initial review of application completeness
  • Detailed project/budget eligibility check
  • Confirmation of alignment with program eligibility
  • Evaluation against the RRIST Evaluation Criteria (see Evaluation Criteria below)

The IAF Team may work in consultation with the program funding partners to confirm the need for additional review.

Retroactive approval of costs incurred prior to project approval will not be considered.

Notifications & Obligations

Funding Notifications & Contracts

If the project is approved, IAF will inform the applicant of the details of the decision and any associated terms and conditions. The applicant then enters into an agreement with IAF which outlines the obligations of each party.

Funding is application and project-specific and must be used for the approved project and related expenses. Funds are non-transferable. Payment of the program funding may only be made to the lead organization (Project Proponent) as outlined in the contribution agreement. All funding payments will be issued via EFT to recipient organization.

Project activities requiring financial resources cannot commence until the contribution agreement has been signed by both the applicant and IAF. All project activities and expenditures must be approved prior to commencing – retroactive costs will not be considered.

Projects may begin on or after a notice of approved project funding. All projects must be completed within 12-months of starting and all projects approved through the program must complete by February 28, 2026. If the project is not approved, the applicant will receive a written response from IAF.

Changes to Contracted Projects

If you are not able to complete your project according to the approved workplan, please inform the IAF Team as soon as possible via the IAF Client Portal.

Reporting Requirements

Successful applicants must complete one or more activity and financial reports to receive payment from the program. These report(s) must be filled out and submitted to IAF to be considered for funding reimbursement. It is important that reports are submitted on time and with all the required information. Please retain all invoices and receipts, you may be asked to submit some or all receipts/invoices following a review of your report(s) by the IAF Team. Expenses will be reimbursed based on the approved project budget and/or audited receipts. All reporting will be completed via the IAF Client Portal.

Funding Acknowledgement

This program is funded by the Government of Canada and Province of BC, therefore; acknowledgment of funding is required when publicly communicating about a project and/or funding. To ensure appropriate acknowledgments, all communications and marketing materials, including public announcements or social media posts, must be pre-approved by the IAF Communications Team. Materials can be submitted via the IAF Client Portal.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications to RRIST will be evaluated based on the following criteria. Only those projects that best match the criteria below will be offered funding.

Criteria
Considerations for Evaluation
Project Eligibility Is the applicant eligible to apply for funding?

Are all project activities and expenses eligible for funding?

Will the project replicate training or information already available?

Program Alignment Does the project align with the program goals and objectives?
Project Plan Does the application clearly describe the domestic labour/workforce challenge and how it will address it?

Will the project provide upskilling opportunities/services of value to the agriculture and food sector and/or provide pathways for entry into food and agriculture careers and/or jobs?

Are the project objectives realistic within the project’s timeline and budget?

Strength of Partnerships Which organizations/partners are directly involved in the project and in what capacity?

What percentage of the agriculture and food sector do they represent?

Scope of Benefits What is the expected scope and reach of the benefits for this project? Is this justified/explained by the applicant?

Will the results of the project be shared with the sector/industry at large?

What are the potential new jobs (FTE’s) created or filled within the agriculture and food sector because of this project?

Sustainability of Benefits Are project benefits sustainable and will they extend beyond project funding?
Key Performance Indicators How will the project capture and report on performance measures?
Applicant Resources/Capacity Does the applicant have sufficient human resources (internal, partners, consultant) to undertake the project?

Applications

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are closed.

Invitations to apply will be sent starting January 2025.

Resources

FAQs

Your organization must register through the IAF Client Portal to apply to IAF programs. Please note, if you have not already registered, this process can take up to 2 business days and must be completed before the application deadline.

Retroactive costs will not be considered. All projects must receive IAF approval before starting activities or incurring any project costs.

All projects must be complete by February 28, 2026.

Please provide the status of the permit and any supporting documentation at the time of application.

All recipients are required to comply with all necessary laws and regulations.

IAF provides payments by EFT (direct deposit). To get your EFT information set up to ensure timely delivery of your payment(s), please follow the directions provided here to update your client portal.

Successful applicants must complete one or more activity and financial reports to receive payment from the program. Payment schedules will be provided in the Contribution Agreement executed with the project proponent.

No, GST is not eligible for reimbursement.

Have a Questions?

Contact the IAF Team

RRIST Program Guide

Download the RRIST Program Guide.

Funding Acknowledgement Requirements

Download the Funding Acknowledgement requirements for RRIST.

Have a Current Project?

Visit the RRIST Project Resource Hub.

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This program is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.