OPIC is a not-for-profit organization with a mandate of building a stronger pork industry for Ontario.  OPIC’s membership spans the pork production value chain from primary producers to processors and all the input and service suppliers along the way. 

OPIC has always made an effort to identify issues which are at the forefront of the swine industry and work towards addressing those issues.  One issue which is currently affecting many pork producers is that of labour for their pig barns.  Finding and keeping good barn workers is becoming an increasingly difficult task.

There are three main components to the project. It starts with conducting a needs assessment and generating a comprehensive report which will include the impact of current demographic trends on the available labour pool.  The second activity involves the development of a career promotion campaign to help increase public awareness about the rewarding careers available in the pork industry and what modern day pork production is really like.  The third activity involves the development and delivery of a pilot management training program.  The modules developed from this activity will focus on building HR management capacity of managers within the industry.   

The main objectives of the Human Resource project are to:

• To assess labour requirements for the pork industry and formulate an action

      plan to fill these projected needs

• Promote careers within the Pork Industry
• Increase Human Resources of Pork Industry Managers (pilot)

The project has been a very successful endeavor.  

The short term results indicate a very high level of success in all areas.  Our goal to assess the labour requirements for the pork industry and formulate an action plan to fill these projected needs was met within the first year of the project.  We have used this needs assessment in order to determine our future needs and have pursued new funding that will allow us to address the needs and utilize the tools developed by this original project funding for several more years.  Thousands of rural, rural non-farm and urban young people have been educated about Pork Industry Careers.  Information has been sent to over 600 Ontario Secondary Schools and thousands of students were spoken to at industry and public events over the course of the project.  We have greatly increased the awareness of Human Resources and the need for the development of HR plans for swine farm operations within Ontario. 

The long term results are harder to assess this soon after the end of the project but with the wonderful OPIC Website and long term hosting, the incredible display and promotional materials and the opportunity to work along with the Ontario Farm Animal Council to develop Youth Ambassadors for the industry, it is anticipated that the time and money invested on this project was indeed well spent and will continue to benefit the Ontario Pork industry and its members for a very long time.

This Employment Ontario Project was funded in part by the Government of Canada.