The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture have reached an agreement for the Provincial Government to invest $2 million over three years to drive workforce development and support continued growth of this flourishing sector.

This investment, funded through the Canada – Newfoundland Labrador Labour Marketing Development Agreement, supports farmers and secondary processors in the agriculture sector to fine-tune their human resources needs and unlock new markets for their products. The Provincial Government is committed to supporting the workforce development needs of the agriculture sector and ensuring its innovative and industrious members receive the tools necessary to continue their rapid growth.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture will start developing strategies to continue diversifying the province’s agriculture industry, and stimulate employment by updating skills the sector requires. This will include profiling employment opportunities in agriculture, and contributing to the development of additional agriculture-related studies at Grenfell Campus of Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic. Farmers will be connected with programs to help fund training for new employees so that their workforce is equipped with the latest industry best practices.

For additional examples of continuing support for workforce development throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, please see the backgrounder below.

Quotes
“The agriculture industry is thriving, as innovative farmers grow their businesses along with fruits, vegetables and livestock, and a supportive government is investing to expand their workforce. This funding will help farmers continue their impressive growth and ensure that even more local food is served on tables throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills

“Newfoundland and Labrador’s agriculture sector recently doubled food self-sufficiency in fruit and vegetable production, and doubled the amount of Crown land developed and enhanced for crop production. I look forward to seeing even more growth in agriculture and support for farmers through this timely investment in skills and workforce development.”
Honourable Derrick Bragg
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

“The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture is pleased to once again receive the support of the Provincial Government to grow the sector. This planning is about making sure our farmers can successfully staff their operations in the years ahead so they can continue to grow crops and feed more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”
Wayne Simmons
President, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture

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 BACKGROUNDER

Continuing support for workforce development in Newfoundland and Labrador

• Investing more than $100 million annually in workforce development, which includes supports for recruitment and retention and skills development.
• Providing supports to 15,000 individuals and 2,500 employers.
• Annual investments include:
  • $2.6 million for over 300 employers to train more than 3,600 individuals to get the skills they need;
  • $47 million to assist 3,800 people get training to connect them with employment; and
  • $14 million to connect 1,000 employees to employers through wage subsidies.
• Programs include:
  • Wage subsidies for employers to create sustainable long-term or seasonal employment. Funding helps offset salary costs to create new positions;
  • The Labour Market Partnership Program provides funding for partnerships to develop strategies to human resource requirements;
  • The Strategic Innovation and Expansion Pilot for groups and organizations to create effective ways to manage human resource capacity building; and
  • The Canada NL Job Grant to provide funding to help the cost of training existing or future employees.