Canadian Agricultural Skills Service (CASS)

Assistance is provided to access training in areas such as:

• improved farm practices;
• business management;
• accounting;
• finance;
• human resource management;
• training for other employment; or
• training to acquire skills for starting a new business.

Financial support, such as tuition fees for courses, textbooks and travel while attending training away from home, is provided for eligible participants with an approved Individual Learning Plan, who are pursuing new skills to capture new opportunities.

Eligibility Criteria

Farmers and their spouses with a net family income of $45 000 or less are eligible to apply for the Canadian Agricultural Skills Service. Beginning farmers are also eligible for some services regardless of income.

Eligible Activities

An Assessment and an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) valued at $2 000 will be developed for all eligible participants.

• Beginning farmers and their spouses, regardless of family income, receive a skills assessment and an ILP. A beginning farmer is someone who plans to establish a farm or who has already owned or operated a farm for at least six years and can demonstrate the operation will generate annual gross farm sales of $10 000 or more.
• Approved established farmers and their spouses are each eligible to receive benefits. Benefits are based on activities outlined in the ILP as well as net family income level. The maximum benefits include training and related costs for the duration of an ILP or the program.
• Support for formal and informal learning training.
• Support for related costs, i.e. dependent care, travel costs and other allowances while on travel status.
• Eligible benefits include costs associated with skills and learning activities, such as tuition and textbooks.

Deadline

2008-03-31

Summary

Program objective

The objective of the Canadian Agricultural Skills Service is to help farmers and their spouses increase their family income through improved farm practices or through increased off-farm income.

Expected results

This program will help increase income and profitability of farmers through learning activities that have been validated through a skills and needs assessment process and the development of an Individual Learning Plan.

Note: Beginning farmer and spouses with a net income above $45 000 are still eligible for the assessment and Individual Learning Plan.

New Brunswick Contact(s):
See National Contact.

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National Contact(s):
Service Canada
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0J9
Fax: (613) 941-1827
Toll-free (information): 1 800 O-Canada
Web site: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/home.html