Farm technician now a designated trade in Nova Scotia
/by Kimberly Stokdijk
When you think of your ideal farm employee, who do you picture? Someone who can demonstrate agriculture production, technical, and leadership skills, and regulatory awareness? Someone who can use and maintain a variety of farm and shop equipment, and is able to use various types of technology? The Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency has approved farm technician to be a designated trade!
The following four paragraphs outline the scope of the farm technician trade as developed by Nova Scotia’s farm technician apprenticeship trade advisory committee:
Farm technicians work on farms that raise livestock and grow crops and fibres. They demonstrate agriculture production, technical, and leadership skills, and regulatory awareness. They safely operate, maintain, and adjust equipment. They maintain properties such as buildings, farm grounds, and storage facilities using safe work practices. They may care for and feed livestock. They may be involved in crop production such as soil and nutrient management, crop management, and integrated pest management. They may be involved in packing, grading, storing, and shipping of farm products.
Farm technicians use a variety of farm equipment such as tractors, forklifts, skid-steers, loaders, implements, and precision agriculture systems. They use and maintain shop equipment and supplies, including various hand and power tools. They may use various types of technology, including computers, robots, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and mobile devices to increase overall efficiency and productivity of the farm operation. They also use any number of livestock- or crop-specific implements directly related to their job.
Key attributes for people in this trade are manual dexterity, mechanical aptitude, and the ability to problem solve by working and thinking both independently and in a team setting. Farm technicians are able to work in a variety of environments. Farming is physically and mentally demanding work and requires flexibility in one’s schedule as conditions arise. Farm technicians take initiative by prioritizing work and exhibiting willingness to learn. They demonstrate productivity, time management, and communication skills. They take responsibility by carrying out their work within established industry, government, and farm protocols and guidelines.
Farm technicians work in all agricultural settings, such as fields, barns, livestock housing, greenhouses, pack houses, coolers, maintenance facilities, and farm shops. Depending on the farm, they may specialize in equipment operation, crop production, livestock production, or product storage and handling. Farm safety and accident prevention is a priority regardless of setting.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
The development of this program will help address the skilled labour gap in the province – providing farms with a skilled workforce that is capable of handling multiple tasks on their operations with the knowledge and skills necessary for success.
Early on, we conducted consultations throughout the province to gauge interest in the apprenticeship. With the consultations receiving positive results, the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency requested participants from the agriculture community to form a trade advisory committee. This committee has been working with the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency for the past year developing the scope of the farm technician trade.
I would like to thank my fellow trade advisory committee members for their hard work and dedication in getting this program off the ground – Denise Bekkers, Lauchie MacEachern, Henry Vissers, Angus Ells, and Gordon Jackson. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the support we’ve had from the industry. Throughout this entire process, we have leaned on the agriculture industry for support through consultations, surveys, and presentations. Your input helped drive this project.
Throughout the process, farmers provided key information on the farm tech occupation. Farm owners were asked to assess the relevancy of various skills related to the occupation. Farmers across the province were surveyed and the results were supportive of having a farm tech apprenticeship program. Virtually all (87.8 percent) were either “somewhat supportive” or “extremely supportive” of having a training program that includes 3,600 hours of practical experience and technical training. Now that it has been approved, we will move forward with the development of the standards and implementation of the apprenticeship program.
MOVING FORWARD
The apprenticeship will have two pathways to certification.
An apprenticeship pathway is currently under development. People working in the farm trade whose employer has a certified journeyperson on staff will be able to register with the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency and take two levels of technical training and access other supports on their journey toward certification.
Experienced farmers (with at least 5,400 hours of experience in the trade) can take the certification exam. If they’re successful, they’ll receive the provincial certification. One journeyperson will be able to supervise two apprentices.
Be sure to follow along as we work toward getting the apprenticeship up and running! Stay tuned via our column in Farm Focus, our newsletters, and our social media channels, as we will provide updates along the way.
We look forward to the official launch of the farm technician program.
(Kimberly Stokdijk is the chair of Nova Scotia’s farm technician apprenticeship trade advisory committee. She and her husband Tim own and operate Stokdijk Greenhouses Ltd. in Beaver Brook, N.S. She was also an educator for 11 years, has home-schooled her children for six years, and holds a master’s degree specializing in education and technology integration. She has served on several Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture committees, including the executive.)
