By Alice McFarlane

Expanding job opportunities for Indigenous youth through education program

May 17, 2022 | 3:59 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – Canada’s plant-based food and ingredients sector is continuing to expand to meet the growing global demand for protein.

The sector has a new challenge. Finding the skilled talent to help fill those job vacancies.

Several organizations are coming together to create programs that develop skills for Indigenous youth in the food processing sector.

The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) and Whitecap Dakota First Nation, with funding from Protein Industries Canada, are designing programs that teach specific knowledge, skills, and competencies to help fill skills gaps in the workforce.

Whitecap Dakota First Nation Chief Darcy Bear said the partnership creates a new and exciting career path for its members and all Indigenous youth across the province.

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“We know food security is vital to our future, and the learning opportunity for our people through this program offered at SIIT will ensure Indigenous voices and perspectives are included in the future of the food processing sector in Canada,” Bear said.

Each semester will include 60 hours of on-site practicum, as well as networking opportunities with processing business leaders, Indigenous Elders, Chiefs and Council, and other Indigenous youth.

Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said the plant-based food and ingredients sector will need roughly 17,000 new jobs across the country in the coming years.

“By offering Indigenous youth targeted learning opportunities that provide valuable skillsets, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and Whitecap Dakota First Nation are preparing the future generation for long-term employment in the sector and increasing Canada’s ability to meet the growing global demand for plant-based protein,” Greuel said.

To further help students and other Indigenous youth see success as employees in the sector, SIIT and Whitecap Dakota First Nation will also be incorporating an employer-training opportunity into the project.

Focused on business leaders and the food processing community in general, the training will be related to Truth and Reconciliation findings and recommendations, to create more inclusive, respectful, and understanding workplaces. SIIT has created a best-in-class Program Advisory Committee to help develop and deploy the curriculum.

The committee includes leading regional food and ingredient processors such as Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre, Bioriginal Food & Science, Ingredion and Horizon Manufacturing.

SIIT President and CEO Riel Bellegarde said his organization is excited to work alongside these groups, and other industry leaders within the agriculture sector, to support the development of a new micro credential for Indigenous youth in Western Canada.

“The creation is vital to cultivating and supporting Indigenous innovators as they contribute their talents and expertise to Canada’s food processing sector, and to ensuring that they are equipped with the skills and training necessary to succeed and contribute to future economic growth in a meaningful way,” Bellegarde said.

SIIT will provide more information during a session at the Beyond the Harvest Summit in July that brings together 200 Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders in the agribusiness sector.

The project cost is $964,000 with Protein Industries Canada committing $514,000 and the partners providing the remainder.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW