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4: The New Skills Infrastructure for Agriculture with Jennifer Wright · The Future Herd

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  Hi, my name is Jesse Hirsh and this is The Future Herd, a podcast about collaboration
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  and leadership in a changing food system.
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  Today we're looking at a question that sits at the corner of every conversation,
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  both the future of agriculture, who will build it, who will run it, and who
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  will have the skills to make it work.
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  To explore that I speak with Jennifer Wright from the Canadian
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  Agricultural Human Resource Council.
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  Her work focuses on the national workforce strategy for agriculture
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  and food manufacturing, and she brings a clear view of what it will take to
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  prepare the sector for the decades ahead.
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  We talk about the skills needed for a more technological and innovative industry.
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  The partnerships are required to build meaningful training
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  systems and how to turn long rage visions into concrete action.
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  It's a conversation about the people behind the future, what they
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  need, how we prepare them, and why collaboration is the only path forward.
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  My name is Jennifer Wright.
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  I'm with the Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council, also known as kark.
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  And why is the future worth considering?
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  I think it's, um, essential that we look to the future to ensure that we have, the
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  workforce, the skills, and, uh, things in place to ensure that our agriculture and
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  food sector continues to thrive and grow.
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  And h how did you feel in terms of the a a C 2050 event?
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  H how, how do you feel that the future that we collaborated, that
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  as a group we tried to evoke?
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  To what extent did it meet your needs or ambitions?
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  Uh, uh, as an organization, as a professional, who I suspect thinks
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  about the future of the agricultural sector here in Canada quite a bit.
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  Yeah, I thought that it was a really great event and lots of great discussion.
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  Our organization has been leading the national workforce strategic plan
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  for agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing, which has really been
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  looking into the future, at least to 2030.
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  So it was great to hear a lot of this.
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  Same kind of conversations, same interest, same priorities coming out
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  of conversations in Ontario and even in that longer term, uh, you know, we
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  look at 2030 and this, uh, event and initiative is looking to 2050, but those
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  priorities that need to be addressed, um, are really aligned with all of the
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  same conversations as what we're having.
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  And, uh, so it was great to be part of it and, uh, certainly aligned
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  with the work that we do as well.
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  And are there particular priorities or particular visions to e be
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  even more broad that, uh, I, you think are worth emphasizing or
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  that resonated in particular?
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  I think, uh, there's a few things.
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  Certainly.
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  Um, the focus on collaboration and, uh, moving forward together, I think
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  is uh, a key, a key thing that, uh, came outta these conversations.
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  And, uh, but that real focus on how can we adopt technology, automation, technology,
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  digitalization, robotics, all of that.
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  I really think that as we move forward, our industry has a real opportunity to
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  lead the way in a lot of that technology.
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  And from our organization's perspective, we do need to ensure that we are getting
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  the workforce in place that has the skills that will support that adoption.
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  As I like to say, none of this can happen without the people, and
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  we need to make sure we have the people and that those people have
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  the right skills to move us forward.
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  Well, and on that in particular, where do you see, for lack of a better phrase, the
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  kind of skill skills infrastructure or the training infrastructure coming from there?
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  There were a lot of other organizations in the room who, who
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  represent the educational sector.
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  But I suspect this is much more of a hybrid solution.
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  Uh, especially, I, I like 2030 in that it's a little more immediate than 2050.
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  But both feel as if they're kind of right around the corner.
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  And your point about ensuring that the workforce is effectively
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  prepared I think, is crucial.
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  So how is that, where is the infrastructure, where is the collaboration
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  needed to make sure that, that, uh, we're, we're able to make that happen?
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  I completely agree that that hybrid approach is required.
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  There's no one solution to this.
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  We do need to make sure that we're continuing to build strong
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  partnerships across the industry and post-secondary education institutions.
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  We need to ensure that those partnerships are, of course, with the agriculture
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  programs, but also beyond into the programs that are, you know, really
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  pushing the ai, the digitalization.
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  Commercialization of innovation and that type of thing.
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  At the same time, I would, uh, say that, the agriculture and food
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  sector has had a labor shortage or workforce shortage for some time.
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  We know it's continuing to grow.
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  We need to ensure that we're also complimenting.
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  The attraction of new people with new skills in, with upskilling, reskilling
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  our current workforce as well.
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  We're not in a position where we can lose people.
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  We wanna make sure that we're retaining our workforce, but we also
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  need to ensure that they have that support to have micro credentials,
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  um, on the job training, access to, uh, the upskilling, reskilling in.
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  Different ways.
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  So it really is a hybrid and, um, I think there's lots of good
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  infrastructure in Canada in place.
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  It's making sure that we bring it all together and that we really
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  collaborate to ensure we're again, moving forward together on the
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  same, in the same direction.
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  Well, and, and I, I really love the kind of message about the micro
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  certification and the upskilling and, and making sure that existing communities.
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  Are benefiting from some of the resources and also some of the opportunities.
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  When we think about education, we think about upskilling and what role does
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  collaboration play in, in not just making those accessible, but I think what you
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  were alluding to, making them almost.
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  Posts institutional.
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  So you don't have to go away for to school.
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  You can have it happen on your farm.
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  You can have it happen kind of, maybe even in your living room.
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  In terms of remote applications, how does collaboration make that happen?
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  Make that tangible, make it solid?
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  Well, I guess there's a few different ways.
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  I'd say for one thing, you know, um.
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  Maybe the pandemic was a real catalyst for this.
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  We were already seeing some shifts in how education and training was
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  delivered, but certainly I think it pushed us to a different place where
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  there's more accessibility to online virtual training, that kind of thing.
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  We're really seeing some, um, really.
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  Advanced innovation in how that training is delivered as well with,
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  you know, different, you can do VR from home and that kind of thing.
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  So that really gives you that hands-on ability.
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  And you can be on the farm or you're in your fa in your living room, as
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  you say, and have that accessibility.
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  But I think, there's.
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  Making sure that we're talking to each other about what's needed
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  and what's really going to be effective in this upskilling.
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  Reskilling is very important and that's where that collaboration comes in.
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  Everybody wants to have, you know, the best.
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  Training program and the best, you know, answer to everything.
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  But I think in this situation, we really need to be collaborating and
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  having industry inform the development of not only the post-secondary, um,
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  programming, but also the upskilling, reskilling, micro-credentials.
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  They can be delivered in different.
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  Formats by different institutions, but there needs to be some quality
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  around it, and there needs to be some standards around that development.
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  But, and there also needs to be industry input into that development.
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  So we don't end up with these programs, which is we're solving a problem
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  that's not there that can happen.
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  We're really need to make sure that what's being delivered is again,
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  that quality level, but also solving.
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  Problems that do exist or may exist in the near future?
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  Well, and I think one of the ways that the kind of quality assurance, for lack of a
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  better phrase happens is when it's rooted in community, when it really applies and
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  appeals to people's sensibilities and.
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  And when you were talking, I sort of had this image of like the mobile
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  veterinarian and the mobile mechanic, the, you know, mobile butcher even, who
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  will show up and provide those services.
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  Why not the mobile teacher or the mobile, you know, tech disruptor
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  or innovator who could go and visit communities and spend time.
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  I, I, I think these are the kind of scenarios we should be brainstorming.
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  Now the other question I've been asking people and, and.
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  Feel free to take a moment to think of this.
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  'cause this is, you know, a bit outta left field, but was there anything that
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  we failed to talk about at the a a C 2050?
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  Were, were there elements, uh, both within your organization's work, which is very
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  future focused, but also within your own kind of professional perspective?
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  You know, we're, because we didn't have a lot of time and there was so
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  much stuff going on, you know, is there anything that we need to double back
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  on and make sure that we don't miss?
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  I'm not sure that we missed certain aspects.
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  I think the conversation was very, uh, robust.
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  But I do think what's really key and what we've seen in our own work is
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  ensuring that the what now, like we kind of talked about what we need.
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  We talked about priorities and things like that, but now what, how do we
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  action it and how do we ensure that?
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  These activities and conversations don't just.
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  Continue to be conversations, but that they get actioned and moved forward.
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  And I think that, I know that, uh, a, a c is looking at that.
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  I know that's one thing that they're really focused on is as their next step.
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  But I think that's the real key.
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  How do we move it forward and how do we ensure we keep moving together
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  in the same direction so that.
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  These things get addressed.
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  Well, and you know, specifically, given that, again, I suspect you've
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  got experience in this, it strikes me as a combination of both momentum, but
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  for lack of a better phrase, kind of deliverables to show that you've done
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  something and the action has been there.
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  Do you have thoughts on, on what form that could take place?
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  'cause often the future focused stuff, to your point, does tend to get
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  bogged down just in the conversations.
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  You know, how do we create the kind of milestones that allow stakeholders to
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  say, Hey, look, we've done something.
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  Let's keep this moving.
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  Yeah.
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  Um, I'll draw back to our experience again on the National Workforce Strategic Plan.
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  We spent a lot of time on the front end of that, of bringing industry together
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  and really developing a strap plan like you would for any organization.
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  But this is for a national industry basically, but really being clear on.
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  Like what's tangible?
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  What can we actually do in the short term?
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  Where would that move us in the medium term?
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  And then what's the longer term?
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  And then revisiting those, that strategic plan approach on a regular basis to
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  say, we've made progress here on these short term goals, they're done or
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  not, and they need to move forward.
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  And then when you get to what would be the medium term goals, saying, okay,
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  now they become our short term goals and rechecking, are we still on on, um.
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  On the right path.
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  Are we moving forward in the right way?
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  What has shifted?
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  And you know, as our world changes so quickly these days, it is necessary
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  to do that check back as well and just say, okay, are these still valid?
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  And what are we gonna do?
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  What can we do to move them forward?
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  Certainly from our conversation or a workforce strategic plan and, and some
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  of the conversation around the, um, the AgriFood 2050, you know, some things are.
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  We want those big goals.
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  We want those big objectives, but some are more tangible and able to
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  be moved forward quickly than others.
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  And that's where that prioritization and real analysis of of what came out of it
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  needs to be done to ensure that we can demonstrate movement towards the end goal.
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  Right on.
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  Fantastic answer.
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  Any final thoughts or other elements, uh, in terms of hopeful
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  thoughts for the future of the sector and the broader ecosystem?
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  I think that, uh, you know, the agriculture and food sector
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  is, uh, well certainly it's a sector that we will always need.
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  Um, we feed Canadians and we feed the world and we feed Ontario ends.
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  And, but I see there's just so much.
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  Excitement and innovation happening in our industry right
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  now that I really think we have.
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  We're really at a good position too.
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  Spring forward in adopting that innovation, adopting that
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  technology, and uh, really being an economic driver in Canada.
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  And con we are, but continuing to build that role we play as
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  an economic driver as well.
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  So I think this is an exciting time for the industry.
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  We just have to, you know, make sure that we're all moving in
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  the right direction, as I said, collaborating more than anything.
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  And, uh, getting that message out to those that aren't already involved
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  in the industry about, you know, the amazing things that are happening, the
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  innovation, the technology, the ai and uh, and what we do for Canada and the world.
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  Listening to Jennifer Wright, you can hear the shape of a
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  different future taking form.
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  A future where the real machinery isn't the robots or the sensors,
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  but the people who learn, adapt, and carry knowledge forward.
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  Progress doesn't begin in a lab or a boardroom.
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  It begins in the conversations that draw communities together in the skills
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  we cultivate and in the trust we place in one another's capacity to grow.
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  If agriculture is a living system, then so is its workforce rooted in
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  experience branching toward possibility.
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  The work ahead is to nourish that system, to align our efforts and to
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  move with intention rather than inertia.
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  The future won't arrive all at once.
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  It will emerge through the choices we make, the collaborations we honor, and
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  the care we invest in those who will inherit the fields we leave behind.
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  Thank you for listening to The Future Herd.
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  May these ideas travel with you and may they spark the
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  partnerships that tomorrow requires.
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  Until then, I'm Jesse Hirsch.