Quinte Immigration Services (QUIS) has launched a new pilot project to help interested Syrian refugees grow their skill set so they can enter and support the province’s agriculture industry.
Not only will the project help new Canadians find meaningful employment, but it will also help contribute to an industry where there’s a demand for workers.
The project, Farmers Feed The World, will provide information on Canadian agricultural practices, starting a farm, selling food in Ontario, regulations surrounding work and food safety in agriculture, and legal information regarding land transactions and leasing.
“This program represents part of our community’s welcome to the refugee families settling in our region,” shares Liv Pureveen, Farmers Feed the World Project Coordinator. “It acknowledges and values their agricultural background in Syria and provides opportunities for these newcomers to become active in our local economy.”
The training will highlight in-demand agricultural jobs and sectors to help cover existing labour shortages and agricultural work.
QUIS Executive Director, Orlando Ferro, has said that an estimated 45% of government-assisted refugees in Ontario have an agricultural background from the time they lived in Syria.
“Our Syrian newcomers bring significant skills, advanced education, and capacity to contribute to rural Ontario economies, and the potential for employment success from this group of newcomers is incredible,” Pureveen adds.
The first phase of the pilot project consists of information sessions, which will be available in Arabic and culturally tailored for the expected audience.
Currently, QUIS is in the process of organizing the first information session in Belleville on November 15, 2016. The information session will be held in the form of a panel with 13 expert panel members.
The panel members will cover topics such as: what does farming in Ontario look like, workers’ rights, workplace safety, recognition of prior learning or work experience, résumé and portfolio development, adult education (ESL), legalities of leasing and owning land, how to create a business plan, where to get funding, financial literacy skills, continued education and more.
Each topic will be followed by a Q&A, with an Arabic interpreter present. Shortly after, QUIS plans on sharing information from the first session in a webinar.
The Farmers Feed the World project is part of a larger initiative to provide a path for self-sustainability for Syrian refugee families, and will assist them with: Employment within Agriculture; Business ownership via the lease of land; or Ownership of a small farming business via the purchase of vacant farmland, or a farmhouse with small acreage.
QUIS is encouraging Syrian refugees and those sponsoring and supporting refugee families to stay tuned for details.
Farmers Feed the World will be delivered by Quinte Immigration Services, with funding from the Canadian Red Cross, support from the East Central Ontario Training Board, the Quinte Local Immigration Partnership, and resources provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs.