Youth education program surpasses goals

When the Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (EMILI), Actua and Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) launched their Protein Industries Canada project in January 2021, they had a goal of introducing 69,000 youth to the plant-protein, agrifood and digital agriculture sectors over three years. Today, they’ve nearly reached that goal, with a significant portion of their audience being comprised of Indigenous and other under-represented groups.

With almost 58,000 youth engaged, including more than 11,000 Indigenous youth, the partners have surpassed their targets for the first two years of the project. Importantly, 82 per cent of these youth say they’ve learned something new about agriculture or digital agriculture, helping prepare them for the opportunities available to them in the sector as they decide on their future careers.

EMILI, Actua and AITC-C launched the program in response to the need for skilled talent in Canada’s agrifood sector, particularly the country’s growing plant-based food and ingredients sector. By introducing youth to opportunities in the sector today, the partners are preparing them to become the sector’s innovative leaders in the future.