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
Eligibility Criteria
Applications
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:
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.
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
Resources

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