Together with the national non-profit organization Palette Skills, Winnipeg-based non-profit Enterprise and Machine Learning Initiative (EMILI), and Economic Development Regina, USask will develop a program focused on increasing employment opportunities among under-represented populations such as the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community, and new Canadians to help solve the labor shortage the agri-food sector faces.
Protein Industries Canada, one of Canada’s five non-profit innovation superclusters, is investing $1.01 million with the partner organizations investing the remaining amount. The funding will pay for the design and launch of a pilot program in Saskatchewan to train 50 workers who will then be placed in the highly-in-demand jobs.
The core focus of the pilot will be to connect companies within the sector to the diverse, well-trained, and skilled talent needed to scale up their businesses and accelerate Canada’s economic recovery. If proven successful, there is potential to expand the program across the Prairies.
Palette Skills will leverage its successful “skilling” model, consulting with industry partners to determine the most pressing skills needed in the industry and developing solutions to meet those needs.
USask College of Agriculture and Bioresources will support the program’s design and industry engagement, leveraging its strong relationships to help grow the project’s employer consortium and contribute its knowledge and experience toward the program’s curriculum.
For more information:
University of Saskatchewan
www.usask.ca