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Program Development
Research Topics:
Foundations in Agricultural-Based Industries for Refugees and Migrants
Foundations in Agricultural-based industries for Refugees and Migrants (FARM) builds upon a common area of newcomer interest and experience: gardening and agriculture. Through this program, clients were equipped to work in Canadian agricultural industries through in-class English language training, practical hands-on lessons, field trips, guest speakers and practicum placements.
Project Information
What was the FARM Program?
The FARM Program was a pilot project that prepared permanent residents for employment in the agricultural and related industries. It proposed that new immigrants can play a role in supplementing a labour force that has heavily relied on Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW). Funded by Alberta Labour, it sought to link newcomers in urban settlement agencies with employers in the agricultural, horticultural, landscaping and related sectors.
What were the aims of FARM?
FARM aimed to:
- Increase the newcomer participants’ ability to connect to workplaces.
- Increase participants’ knowledge of vocabulary related to the operation of relevant material and equipment.
- Increase participants’ skills in the agriculture sector demonstrated by effective onsite performance during practicum placement.
- Gain a better understanding of newcomer needs to serve newcomers more effectively and inform future program development efforts.
Why is this important?
A significant portion of newly arrived refugees and immigrants in Calgary possess a background in agriculture or horticulture. At the time of project implementation, almost 30% of TIES clients previously worked an agriculture related role. Those newcomers often find it difficult to access economic integration because of lower levels of education, language skills, and are often compelled to retrain for a new, more urban appropriate career. Meanwhile, Alberta continues to see labour shortages in the agricultural industry (Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council [CAHRC], 2019). To bolster the agricultural industry labour pool, governments have turned to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and its substream Seasonal Agricultural Worker’s Program (SAWP; Zhang et al., 2021). The FARM Program created a potential stream for programming that will help alleviate the need for agricultural workers by developing a permanent pool of Alberta based employees with the necessary communication and workplace related skills.
Project Activities
First, a FARM curriculum and workbook were developed with the extensive feedback and participation of engaged employer partners. Then, the program ran four cohorts in 2018 and 2019. Each intake consisted of a ten-week program that involved:
- 8 weeks (96 hours) of a part-time, workplace readiness language training program.
- 2 to 3 weeks (45 hours, later expanded to 52 hours) of a paid practicum placement with an employer partner organization.
Next, we engaged with industry employers who accommodated practicum placements to arrange work site visits and receive direct feedback.
Finally, we worked to ensure that a majority of the graduates attained employment in their desired field. This resulted in a 74% employment rate.
Lessons Learned
- Newcomers connecting with employers and vice-versa, was not a barrier for immigrants finding employment in the agricultural and related industries. There were more positions offered by employers through the FARM Program than FARM graduates accepting them.
- Newcomer participants perceived that their social and economic integration benefited through the FARM Program. Newcomers felt they increased the extent of their social network in Canada through their frequent engagement in-class and during practicum with employers. Additionally, there was a natural extension of their networks in becoming familiar with co-participants and classmates. Upon completion of the program, participants reported progress in their economic integration in part due to subsequent offers of employment after the program.
- Participants expressed high enthusiasm for the uniqueness of a program focusing on agricultural and related industries. They enjoyed the emphasis on hands-on work in the classroom and the practicum. Many participants felt that their past experience obtained in other countries was applicable to their employment.
- Local businesses were enthusiastic about supporting newcomer employees who were already residents of Alberta. Employers expressed enthusiasm for the program’s potential to help with recruitment, an area in which they frequently struggle. The FARM Program represented a potential bridge between their industry, which is in frequent need of employees, and newcomers, who are in frequent need of employment.
Learn More
Here are the resources used during the FARM pilot project that may be used as references or guides:
If you would like to learn more about the FARM Project, you can read our publication:
References
Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. (2019). How Labour Challenges Will Shape the Future of Agriculture in Alberta: Agriculture Forecast to 2029. https://prod.cahrc-ccrha.ca/sites/default/files/2021-11/AB_EN_Reduced%20size.pdf
Zhang, Y., Ostrovsky, Y., and Arsenault, A. (2021). Foreign workers in the Canadian agriculture industry. Statistics Canada. Economic and Social Reports 1(4). https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202100400002-eng
