The Green Certificate Program helps students learn about careers in ag
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Alberta high school students interested in a career in the poultry sector can now gain experience through a provincial government program.
Alberta Education and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry have added Poultry Technician to the courses offered through the Green Certificate Program (GCP). Alberta also committed to investing about $400,000 annually to cover course fees for around 750 students.
The GCP provides ag related education in an apprenticeship style, which allows students to develop skills through hands-on learning.
“Expanding this program means even more choices for students to explore career options in agriculture,” Oneil Carlier, minister of agriculture and forestry, said in a statement Friday. “We are committed to supporting families by improving growth in rural programs and the agricultural industry.”
The Poultry Technician program will include broiler, turkey, hatching egg and table egg specializations. Each specialization will include several components like bird biology, animal handling and biosecurity.
Giving students these useful skills will help ensure the industry is properly staffed, said Robert Renema, producer programs manager with Alberta Chicken Producers.
“Adding poultry technician to the Green Certificate Program fills a critical gap in the program and provides an enhanced training path for our future broiler farmers and farm technicians,” he said in the statement.
Students working in the poultry sector are optimistic about the new addition to the GCP.
Ethan Meyer, a 16-year-old egg producer from Coaldale, Alta. owns Ethan’s Eggs. He sells eggs from his flock of 260 birds using Facebook and other online methods.
Focusing on his egg business means it’s tough to find part-time work to fulfill work credit requirements, so having a GCP avenue for the poultry industry will help him meet those goals.
“As a high school student with a small business, I don’t have time to work a part-time job like my friends,” he said in the statement. “It’s tough to get the same work experience credits they do, and the Green Certificate Program can help me get the credits I need to finish high school.”