The Saskatchewan government is partnering with the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC) to create a mobile, virtual-reality skills lab with a $300,000 investment.
“It will promote the different roles and careers in the agricultural, equipment, manufacturing industry through virtual reality experiences,” said Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit. “The lab will travel across the province this summer.”
About 8,700 people are employed in agricultural manufacturing industry in the province. Minister Marit said Saskatchewan has experienced a robust growth in the agricultural manufacturing industry in the past few years.
“These exports have risen from a total of $359 million in 2018 to $843 million in 2023,” said Minister Marit. “Our investment in this mobile lab will help expand the workforce that generates this economic activity.”
Donna Boyd, the AMC president, said the value of the industry in Canada exceeds $20 billion dollars.
“It is not only providing obviously well-paying jobs, but also spurring innovation and driving the innovation that that farmers and producers need today, not only here in Canada, but all over the world,” said Boyd. “The biggest challenge is labour and that is why we introduced the Careers in Ag. initiative to ensure that this industry (has) the talent that it needs today to fuel the future of food tomorrow.”
According to a release, the mobile skills lab will visit school campuses and community events across Saskatchewan to promote career opportunities within the agricultural manufacturing industry.