In response to COVID-19, the Government of Alberta has created a new Agriculture Training Support Program to help employers in the food supply chain provide necessary training to new Alberta employees.

The program is intended to offset costs for COVID-19 safety and training, including the costs for personal protective equipment and to remove any barriers to get Albertans safely working.

“To all Albertans interested in work, jobs in the agriculture sector are dynamic, employ a range of skillsets and help to support your communities. These investments, provided by both levels of Government, will give Albertans the opportunity to train and transition into these rewarding jobs.”

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

By providing up to $5 million in support to farmers, agri-businesses and food processors, the program helps offset the cost to train new employees safely in new agri-food roles. The program will support training for as many as 2,500 new jobs in Alberta.

“Alberta’s agriculture and food sector rely on thousands of people working every day to help keep food on our tables. As we see record high unemployment in Alberta due to a global economic slowdown and COVID-19, we need to ensure unemployed Albertans have the opportunity for domestic jobs instead of hiring workers from overseas.”

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

The maximum government contribution under the program is $2,000 per new employee, up to a maximum of $50,000 per employer. Grants will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis until available program funding is fully allocated.

for more, go to https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=71300983A43C2-052C-9669-7A9B903D1A9CFD39