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

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

By Isabel Dopta, Food Processing Skills Canada

The Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative (OACSI) 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.

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. By 2025, it is estimated that the Ontario industry will experience 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 industrydriven and facility-level solutions. The OACSI program 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.

The following project summaries offer insights, best practices, and practical resources that can be shared across the industry.

3 Ways Food and Beverage Processors are Developing Skills Training & Mentorship

The skills gap and worker shortage for Ontario’s food and beverage processing industry is serious.

Food Processing Skills Canada tells us that the national industry is short about 50,000 people or 16% of the overall workforce, and every vacancy costs a business approximately $190 per day. Given there are, on average, six vacancies per business, the cost to an employer is significant at $1,100 per day in lost production.

Employee skills training and a workplace culture of continuous learning have long been proven to support jobseeker recruitment and employee retention, and COVID-19 certainly emphasized it. Even prior to the pandemic, LinkedIn’s 2018 Workplace Learning Trends reported that 94% of employees would stay longer in companies that are willing to invest in their professional development.

As part of the Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative (OACSI), three food and beverage processing companies had the opportunity to develop training and mentorship strategies to support their workforce in unique ways.

Creating a Blended Approach to Employee Upskilling

With over 700 full-time employees and an impressive growth plan, Highbury Canco recognized they needed a comprehensive approach to upskilling employees that was customized to their facility in Leamington, Ontario, otherwise known as the heart of Canada’s tomato capital.

“We decided to use an Alchemy Learning Management System and Playbook for our online skills training to ensure a consistent approach for all levels of employees. We also implemented packer training and seamer training onsite for a blended approach of hands-on and online learning,” said Brittany Gurney, Training Coordinator. “A survey we conducted confirmed that employees appreciate the training and use it daily in their jobs. Next we would like to add training in multiple languages and more video-based learning.”

Adapting Employee Training & Upskilling for the Virtual World

For Village Juicery, their new training strategy started with a 100% commitment to digital learning from paper-based. The Toronto maker of fresh, organic, plant-based beverages, meals, and cleanses has 90 full-time and 75 part-time employees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company knew it needed a new approach to training.

“We implemented a semi-custom system to provide training on policies and procedures, health and safety, and to make it easier for our employees to access a training library and onboarding

tools,” Tanu Kapoor, Director of Human Resources. “With this new system, managers can also spend more time on team building and operational efficiencies. We are always thinking about how we can improve the life journey of our employees and we are already seeing improvements in the quality of products.”

Mentoring Women & Newcomers Entering the Food and Beverage Processing Industry

For Centennial Foods, recognizing an underrepresented demographic — women — in the food and beverage processing industry and providing mentorship was a priority. As an international distributor of fresh and frozen protein products, their workforce is also diverse with many new Canadians and landed immigrants employed.

“Providing leadership training and mentorship to women, and skills training to our workforce is how we intend to retain and support employees,” Atoosa Shahrooz, Centennial Food Group “For our company, mentorship is closely connected to the local community and is customized to our predominantly Asian, female workforce.”

Practical Industry Solutions to the Employment Challenge in Food and Beverage Processing

The shortage of workers in the food and beverage processing industry is similar to what is being experienced across other manufacturing sectors in Canada.

In 2022, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters surveyed 563 manufacturers from across the country on their labour shortage and the impact to the Canadian economy. For the second consecutive year, more than 80% of manufacturers reported facing labour and skills shortages, up sharply from 60% in 2020 and 39% in 2016. And in the last year alone, labour and skills shortages in the manufacturing sector cost the Canadian economy almost $13 billion, a consequence of lost sales, penalties for late delivery, and postponed or cancelled investment projects.

As companies are dealing with broader societal and industrybased challenges related to labour shortages, they are also recognizing their own unique situations and possible solutions. As part the Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative (OACSI), Maple Leaf Foods, Burnac Produce and Bimbo Canada developed solutions that are shareable and applicable to other businesses.

Helping Jobseekers Explore Opportunities in Food and Beverage Processing

Jobs That Feed was the brainchild of Burnac Produce to address their immediate job vacancies. The initiative was not just a job board available to other businesses, but a place for jobseekers to explore the industry and the types of careers available through video and information also shared via social media and radio. An impressive 519 people applied for jobs during the initial four week period.

In addition to the job board functionality, Jobs That Feed offers a behavioural assessment tool to help jobseekers and employers understand the best job fit based on personal traits and aptitudes.

Looking to enhance your recruitment efforts? Check out Jobs That Feed

Perfecting In-Person Job Fairs

Perfecting the in-person job fair was the focus for Maple Leaf Foods. The company found that job fairs organized in partnership with communities, external providers (i.e., Indeed) or organized onsite or locally all proved successful. In fact, Maple Leaf Foods experienced a significant and sustained increase in hiring across the company due to a series of tactics including career fairs from 98 individuals to 146 during the project timeline.

Ready to undertake your own company job fair? Check out the Employer Guide to Hosting a Job Fair — Everything You Need To Know

Engaging Temporary Foreign Workers to Address Immediate Labour Needs

Understanding the details of engaging temporary foreign workers and the approach to collaborating with the local community was the priority for Bimbo Canada. While other solutions to the current labour crisis can require large amounts of capital and research, temporary foreign workers provide, in some cases, quicker and substantial relief. While there is a cost to hiring a temporary foreign worker, the analysis suggests that the benefit outweighs the cost. Are you thinking about hiring temporary foreign workers but aren’t sure how the program

works? Check out the TFW Employer Guide developed by Food and Beverage Ontario in conjunction with Bimbo Canada.

Rural Processors Finding Community-Based Solutions for Transportation and Housing

Farm Fresh Poultry, a leading chicken processor located in Harriston, Ontario, has experienced several of its own challenges with affordable housing and transportation for employees. In this region, there is no public transit, but there are local rideshare programs and a network of community partners interested in supporting a strategy for the region. That said, without a personal vehicle, individuals may find it too cumbersome and time consuming to take a job that is outside of a rural town.

“There are 1,800 people living in Harriston which is a small pool to recruit workers from,” said Ryan Lemire, Chief Operating Officer, Farm Fresh Poultry. “We knew implementing transportation solutions and identifying housing options would be key to resolving our labour challenges.”

The company found a rideshare service that significantly reduced the cost of transportation to the plant. Previously, an employee who was unable to get transportation would likely commute via taxi at a variable cost that could be as high as $50.00 one way. With a local ride sharing company called Ride Well it was possible to reduce transportation costs to roughly $8.00 one way. Farm Fresh Poultry also found housing initiatives local to Harriston with new housing available at reduced prices. This list is shared with employees and affordable housing programs –Rent Geared to Income and Below Market Rent — are highlighted for them.

VG Meats is another rural processor with similar challenges. A family-owned company located in Simcoe, Ontario, VG Meats has proudly been serving Ontario families high quality meat since the 1970s.

“We partnered with local interests to implement a rideshare program and assessed the potential of offering our own daycare options for families,” said Kevin VanGronigen, Owner, VG Meats. “My advice for any rural processor is to connect with the community supports already in place and work together in finding solutions.”

About the Agricultural Adaptation Council

The Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) is an industryled organization that stimulates growth and opportunity for Ontario’s agriculture and food industry through the delivery of funding programs, facilitating connections, and developing partnerships.

The Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative program was funded in part through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership), a five-year, federal-provincialterritorial initiative. This program is being delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

To access the resources listed in this article please visit: https://adaptcouncil.org/program/oacsi