Farmer checking product in sugar beet field -- LNN file photo

By Dori Modney with files from Agriculture Canada

Federal agriculture program to create 2,000 youth jobs

May 10, 2021 | 10:27 AM

OTTAWA, ONT. — The federal Agriculture and Agri-Food minister hosted a virtual event on Wednesday (May 5) morning, to announce a $21.4 million investment in youth job creation. Marie-Claude Bibeau indicated the money will enhance the Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP), to fund about 2,000 jobs for youth in the agriculture sector.

The purpose of the program is to help young Canadians between the ages of 15 and 30 with job experience in agriculture, which could lead to a career in the sector.

Wednesday’s investment nearly doubles last year’s allocation which invested $9.2 million to fund nearly 1,000 jobs.

Young people are among the hardest hit during the pandemic and experiencing more job loss than any other demographic. At the same time, the agriculture sector has been facing increased difficulty accessing labour since Covid-19 began.

Justin Williams, Chair of the Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum, has high hopes for the money and the program.

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“The Youth Employment and Skills Program helps alleviate some of the pressing labour issues in Canadian agriculture, while also giving youths exposure to our industry when that exposure is becoming increasingly rare. We hope programs such as this can help foster the next generation of Canadian farmers and get the younger generations talking about Canadian agriculture as a career prospect.”

Ryan Kasko, General Manager of Kasko Cattle Co. Ltd. in Coaldale, has a positive reaction to the program.

“The YESP program has been an easy program to use. We’ve appreciated that it helped us hire a young person and expose them to some of the opportunities in the field of agriculture.”

The program offers employers who hire youth for agricultural jobs up to 50% of wages, to a maximum of $14,000. Indigenous applicants and employers who hire a youth facing barriers are eligible to receive up to 80% of total eligible costs, up to a maximum of $14,000.

YESP also provides 100% of costs for relocation, to a maximum of $5,000, if the youth needs to relocate for the position.

Eligible applicants include producers, agri-businesses, industry associations, provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous organizations and research facilities.

Support can cover the period from April 15, 2021 to March 31, 2022. Applications for the YESP are now being accepted and forms are available through the webpage. For more information, please contact aafc.yesp-pecj.aac@canada.ca, or call: 1-866-452-5558