Workforce WindsorEssex Highlights In-demand Agriculture Jobs
Students and jobseekers tour local agriculture and agri-food companies on Agri-Day Tour
For Immediate Release
September 24, 2019
Windsor, ON – Workforce WindsorEssex, the region’s Local Employment Planning Council (LEPC), held Agri-Day on Tuesday, September 24, to highlight local in-demand jobs in the agriculture sector. Agri-Day allows local students and jobseekers, 350 this year, the opportunity to tour different agriculture and agri-food companies throughout Windsor-Essex, including traditional farms, greenhouse supply, and food manufacturing facilities.
Tours took place at Mucci Farms, Plant Products Inc., Inner Seasonings International Inc., and Highline Mushrooms.
Agri-Day is part of Workforce WindsorEssex’s initiative to encourage agriculture careers in the region, as Windsor-Essex needs more skilled workers in the agriculture and agri-food sector to help local companies grow and compete in the 21st century.
Earlier this year, Workforce WindsorEssex launched A Career Guide for the Agriculture & Agri-Food Sector in Windsor-Essex, exploring the top 52 in-demand agriculture and agri-food occupations in the region. It also highlights the skills and experience that those in vulnerable manufacturing occupations can transfer to the agriculture sector.
For more information on Agri-Day and on agriculture careers in Windsor-Essex, visit: https://www.workforcewindsoressex.com/agriculture/.
QUICK FACTS:
- As of 2018, there were 6,938 individuals employed in the agriculture and agri-food sector in Windsor-Essex (Pg. 8, A Career Guide for the Agriculture & Agri-Food Sector in Windsor-Essex).
- The Leamington CA area (Leamington and Kingsville) is widely known for its large concentration of greenhouse operations. The area has been rapidly growing in recent years and contains over 60% of Ontario’s greenhouses, the largest concentration of greenhouses in both Canada and the U.S. (Pg. 10, A Career Guide for the Agriculture & Agri-Food Sector in Windsor-Essex).
- The rapid growth of this area means that new greenhouses will have to be constructed, or existing greenhouses may have to be retro-fitted to support a new type of crop production, such as cannabis. This new demand for construction will likely raise the demand for jobs like carpenters, concrete finishers, and welders (Pg. 10, A Career Guide for the Agriculture & Agri-Food Sector in Windsor-Essex).
QUICK LINKS:
- Workforce WindsorEssex launched the Agriculture and Agri-Food Career Guide in July 2019. View the guide online: A Career Guide for the Agriculture & Agri-Food Sector in Windsor-Essex.
- Workforce WindsorEssex released a series of five videos featuring local agriculture companies and employees who work in the sector, including Mucci Farms, Cooper’s Hawk Winery, Highline Mushroom, Presteve Foods, and Inner Seasonings International Inc.: Spotlight on Agriculture Videos.
- Workforce WindsorEssex also released a series of 11 blog posts highlighting individuals who work in the region’s top in-demand agriculture jobs: Agriculture Workforce Profiles.
- To learn more about the Local Employment Planning Council and view our current and past projects visit www.workforcewindsoressex.com/lepc.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Corey Shenken
Project Coordinator & Researcher
Workforce WindsorEssex
(416) 560-7077
cshenken@workforcewindsoressex.com
About Workforce WindsorEssex
Workforce WindsorEssex is a workforce and community development board that creates labour market tools, research, guides, and events that benefit jobseekers, employers, students, educators, and the community. Founded 10 years ago by the City of Windsor, County of Essex, WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation, and the Province of Ontario, our mandate is to plan, facilitate, and advocate for regional workforce development, defined as the development, retention, and recruitment of a wide range of skilled workers to meet the current and future economic and social development needs of Windsor-Essex.
Workforce WindsorEssex currently receives funding under four projects: Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership, Local Employment Planning Council, WEskills, and WE Value. Learn more at www.workforcewindsoressex.com.
About the Local Employment Planning Council project
The Local Employment Planning Council (LEPC) is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. The LEPC pilot aims to increase the access to accurate, up to date, local labour market information and help pioneer new and innovative approaches to local employment planning.