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Federal wage-subsidy program matches students with agricultural placements

September 21, 2021  By Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council


A wage-subsidy program for recruiting young people into agriculture jobs is now open.

Introduced last week, the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) has partnered to deliver a federally funded Student Work Placement Program  (SWPP) to match post-secondary students with Work Integrated Learning placements in the agriculture field.

By hiring students, employers can “benefit from new perspectives and ideas” and qualify for a subsidy of up to $7,500 or 75 per cent of wages.

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Pulling from outside of traditional agriculture fields will aim to “draw in underrepresented groups such as women, Indigenous students, disabled students, and newcomers to Canada, encouraging them to look towards careers in our exciting industry,” states the press release.

Known as Growing Opportunities, the wage subsidy program will support Work Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities in the agriculture industry for agriculture and non-agriculture students. Employers in agriculture are encouraged to hire students from diverse academic backgrounds, as drawing from an expanded pool of candidates outside of traditional agriculture fields will bring innovation and creative solution to the sector and inspire under-represented groups such as women, Indigenous people, disabled people, and newcomers to engage in this exciting industry.

Those interested are encouraged to post their positions now, and are reminded that positions can be for just about any role, “so think outside the box when you plan what skills your operation needs.”

Eligible employers include registered Canadian businesses and not-for-profit organizations from the agriculture industry, as well as post-secondary institutions (universities, colleges, and polytechnics). Eligible students must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, registered in a recognized Canadian post-secondary institution.

To learn more, click here.


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