Students need to know the vast career opportunities in agriculture: AgScape

Mar 31, 2017

Comments come after MPP Lisa Thompson questions Premier on Private Member’s Motion

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

In order for the agricultural industry’s workforce to be replenished with the best employees of the next generation, students need to understand how many opportunities ag can present, says Colleen Smith, AgScape’s executive director.

“Most people think of agriculture and they think of farming and tractors,” says Smith. “We have the extra challenge to diversify their understanding of what agriculture is to focus it more towards biotechnology, science, environmental issues, geography, business and economics.

“There’s tons of jobs out there.”

Smith’s comments come after Lisa Thompson, MPP for Huron-Bruce, questioned the Premier on a Private Member’s Motion she introduced in 2015.

The Motion, Growing Agri-Food Jobs, called on the government to incorporate an agri-food career section in the grades 9 and 10 Careers and Guidance curriculum. The motion passed in Queen’s Park but the government has not yet taken action.

“The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council has predicted that the labour gap will actually double by 2025,” Thompson said in a March 29 open letter addressed to the Premier, Minister of Education and Minister of Agriculture. “We need to begin to take serious steps towards tackling this problem, otherwise it will only continue to get worse.”

And those tasked with bringing agri-food jobs to the forefront urge for action on MPP Thompson’s motion.

“(The Motion) is a critical opportunity to educate a broad base of students who will both value the knowledge of not only where their food comes from at the production stage, but also the array of opportunities in one of Ontario’s fastest growing sectors,” said Kathryn Doan, director, AgCareers.com. “(Growing Agri-Food Jobs) is something that needs to be implemented before another year passes us by.”

Agricultural opportunities need to be an integral part of any career discussion within the Ontario curriculum, Smith said.

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