Planning for Tomorrow 2.0 Report

Two students in lab coats do testing, overlay of crop field

It’s a good time to be entering Ontario’s food and agriculture sector.

In fact, there are currently four jobs for every graduate of the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), according to a new “Planning for Tomorrow 2.0” report commissioned by OAC.

Based on a survey of 123 Ontario employers in the sector, the report provides a snapshot of hiring trends and demands in food and agriculture. The new survey updates a previous Planning for Tomorrow report [1]from five years earlier. Synthesis Agri-Food Network, in collaboration with Orion Global Business Sustainability Consultants, conducted the new study.

Key Findings of the Report

Today there are 4 jobs for every OAC graduate entering Ontario’s food and agriculture sector.
44% of food employers and 56% of agriculture employers surveyed project a general increase in the average number of new hires over the next five years.
77% of food employers and 79% of agriculture employers have a preference for formal training in food and agriculture graduates.
50% of food and 57% of agriculture employers surveyed stated that more than half of their employees require or have post-secondary education.
51% of food respondents and 67% of agriculture respondents reported difficulties in finding recruits.
Surveyed employers communicated a strong demand for co-op programs and experiential learning.

Download the Report

Educational Programs

The Ontario Agricultural College of the University of Guelph offers a suite of diploma, undergraduate and graduate programs that serve the interests of students and the needs of the food and agriculture sectors. View a list of our associate diplomas [4], undergraduate degrees [5] and graduate degrees [6] offered.

Report Supporters

Special thanks to Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Farm Credit Canada, RBC Royal Bank and the OAC Alumni Foundation for their financial support of the Planning for Tomorrow 2.0 study.