Brandon college launching digital agricultural tech program

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This article was published 29/02/2024 (942 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Drones, crops, cloud-based software — all are part of the curriculum in Assiniboine Community College’s newest program.

The Brandon institution will launch its two-year digital agriculture technology advanced diploma program this September.

Assiniboine has been “hearing for a while now” about the need, said Chris Budiwski, chair at the post-secondary’s school of agriculture and environment.

The industry’s labour shortages have been well-publicized, he noted.

“An up-and-coming new challenge… is (finding) people who are interested and able to understand the agricultural industry and environment, but who are also tech savvy and computer savvy,” Budiwski said.

A 2023 report by Palette Skills highlights a growing need for digital skills in the ag-tech sector. Artificial intelligence has emerged as a force boosting efficiency in the industry, it stated.

Technology in agriculture is constantly evolving, which provides both a challenge and an opportunity, Budiwski relayed.

The college will adjust its programming annually to meet industry needs, he said. Currently, first years will lean into agriculture. Students will learn plant identification and crop and soil sciences, among other things.

In the second year, pupils will dive into cloud-based software, programming and geospatial data.

There will be a 16-week paid work placement. Though there aren’t formal partnerships with industry, there’s often more employer demand and jobs available than students can meet, Budiwski stated.

Twenty-six slots are open for students this upcoming fall. The first-year tuition fee is an estimated $8,825.

Students must have a prior diploma or university degree to qualify.

The program is “an important way to build more awareness and prepare students to succeed in digital agriculture careers,” Jennifer Cox, communications manager for the Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (EMILI), wrote in an email.

The most sought-after skills in the digital agriculture industry include technical agriculture skills like plant breeding and soil science, technology skills including data analysis, and soft skills, EMILI highlights.

Data analysts, farm technicians, software developers and automation technicians are increasingly important in the digital agriculture sector, the Palette Skills report explains.

The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council projects a domestic labour gap exceeding 100,000 jobs by 2030. It’s a 15 per cent increase from the number of jobs that couldn’t be filled in 2023 by Canadian residents, a February 2024 report highlighted.

gabriellle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com