Purpose of the Initiative

The Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative was designed to grow the labour market for food and beverage processing businesses by either enticing people to become employed in the sector or to remain employed. This initiative supported innovative pilot projects that were tailor-made to address specific needs of employers, employees and jobseekers to attract and retain a strong and vibrant workforce. 

The Initiative was funded in part through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership), a 5-year, $35 Billion federal-provincial-territorial initiative.  The Initiative was delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agri-business.

8 Innovative HR Solutions from the Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative

Given the significant challenges faced by Ontario’s 4,000+ food and beverage processors in recruiting and retaining top talent, the timing of OACSI was important. It was estimated that the Ontario industry is experiencing up to 25,000 job vacancies representing approximately 20% of the current workforce. The looming gap is a result of an ageing workforce demographic but also the lacklustre attraction of younger generations to the huge variety of jobs and career opportunities in the industry.

As with any complex issue, the labour challenges in this sector demand a comprehensive strategy that includes both industry-driven and facility-level solutions. The Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative provided support to eight innovative companies to develop unique pilot solutions that offered value to not just the applicant, but the entire Ontario food and beverage processing industry.

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