Avoiding the pitfalls of a retiring workforce

Food Processing Skills Canada’s Industry Growth and Outlook Report from December 2023 found the average annual hiring requirement for this industry is significant with approximately 11,500 new people required per year driven primarily by the need to replace an estimated 66,800 retirements and age-related exits while considering projected industry growth and labour productivity gains.

Training for new hires and frontline workers interested in joining the food and beverage industry will be provided via comprehensive, online tools to transform employees into confident digital learners. This will be done via a blended approach that includes onboarding, goal-driven content, coaching, gamification and self-directed skills development. This program will be made available in French in January 2025.

Creating a new frontier of workers

Job readiness training for those looking for positions connected to government and community-serving organizations will also be available later this fall and will include courses in multiple languages, such as French, Spanish, Mandarin and Tagalog.

“The Skills Training Across Canada program for Supervisors that we completed in 2023 has been invaluable to our team. The training is frequently referenced throughout our company, equipping employees with the skills needed to enhance their abilities and excel in their day-to-day duties,” Brennan Wiens, human resources manager at Harvest Meats, said in the press release.

“I highly recommend the new Skills Training Across Canada for fostering engagement and developing strong employees within any organization.”

The Canadian food and beverage manufacturing industry contributes $35.2 billion to Canada’s GDP and is a top employer with over 310,000 people in the workforce in 2023.