CareerFocus Program

This program offers food processing employers an opportunity to receive a wage subsidy to hire skilled youth, to access some of the skills that can further strengthen the sector: skills such as business, marketing, design, processing, engineering or other technical abilities.

The Sectoral Youth Career Focus Program is open to all organizations of the food processing sector. Eligible participants must be post-secondary graduates in food processing or other related disciplines. The Sectoral Youth Career Focus Program is a national initiative between the FPHRC and the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program.

The Career Focus Program Objectives are to:

• Increase the supply of highly qualified people to the sector
• Promote the benefits of advanced food processing and other related studies to youth
• Demonstrate leadership, in partnership with the Government of Canada, by investing in the skills required to meet both the professional needs of youth and the labour needs of the food processing industry in and evolving economy and
• Help highly skilled young people transit from school to work in a rapidly changing labour market

If you are an employer interested in hiring a post-secondary graduate under the Career Focus program, learn more by clicking here. 

For the French Application click here.

If you are a student who is interested in pursuing a career in food processing under the Career Focus program, learn more by clicking here.

For the French Participant Application click here.

For a brochure on the Career Focus Program please click here.

For the French brochure click here.

Eligible Participants

To participate in Career Focus, youth must be:

• between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection;
• post-secondary graduates;
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons on whom refugee protection has been conferred;
• out of school;
• legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations; and
• not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.

Note: Post-secondary graduates are limited to participation in one Career Focus project.

The Sectoral Career Focus Program is a national initiative between the Government of Canada and sector councils and cross-sectoral organizations. Sector councils are well positioned to develop projects that assist youth in finding quality employment and are well qualified to act as project managers, assessing and matching employers and participants based on program eligibility requirements and assuming responsibility for the overall financial management of projects. As project managers and recipient sponsors, sector councils assess potential employers and participants to ensure they meet program eligibility requirements and assume responsibility for the overall financial management of projects.