Thrive During the Labor Shortage by Providing Growth Opportunities for Employees
Combining seed, soil, water and sun is as old as time, but one look at a mechanically harvested berry field, a sustainably powered vegetable greenhouse or a top-of-the-line fruit packing facility shows how rapidly the fresh produce industry is experiencing change driven by technological advancements, a changing marketplace and social innovations.
In recent years, upskilling employees in the ag industry has moved from being a good idea to an essential strategy. A report by the World Economic Forum predicts that by the year 2025, 50% of all employees will have to acquire new skills and 40% of employees’ core skills will change. It makes sense that adaptability is rising to the top of desired characteristics in new employees in agriculture.
What Does Upskilling Look Like in Agriculture?
Upskilling is training and development provided to employees. It might include conferences, training courses, leadership development, certifications, software and tech schooling or even lunch-and-learn sessions. Most importantly, upskilling in agriculture equips employees to support a company’s successful execution of its mission.
For a fresh produce company, upskilling can look like investing in soft skills training for select employees from all areas of work in the company. Outcomes include establishing a culture of continuous improvement and creating practical solutions for business problems. Return on investment from upskilling can be seen in increased retention and employee engagement.
Upskilling Is a Solution for the Agricultural Labor Shortage
In addition to enhancing business objectives, upskilling is a way to invest in and retain a skilled workforce when labor is in short supply.
1. Upskilling Enhances Skill Sets and Helps Retain Employees
Due to the labor shortage across the industry, as technology requires new skills from the workforce, it may not be possible to hire new employees to fill those roles. Creating and retaining a skilled workforce is essential.
Upskilling provides employees with upward mobility, increased opportunities and possibilities for financial growth, all of which contribute to keeping employees around by building company loyalty and increasing employee satisfaction.
2. Upskilling Is a Good Use of Financial Resources
It’s more expensive to hire and train a new employee than to empower an existing employee with new skills. One study determined a conservative estimate for the cost of replacing an existing employee to be one-half to two times that employee’s salary.For years, the manufacturing industry has been looking to use upskilling as a tool to thrive during a labor shortage.
Pre-pandemic, manufacturers planned to spend $26.2 billion on training in order to combat the shortage of available workers and ensure a pipeline of talent.
3. Upskilling Facilitates Movement Along Career Pathways
When taken together with a defined career path, upskilling can lead to a long, fulfilling career with a company or in an industry. Growth and development of committed, long-term employees contributes to a company’s ability to innovate, grow and stay relevant.
Upskilling in Agriculture in Action
Workforce development training through Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) covers effective problem-solving processes, data gathering, communication and conflict resolution. Farmworkers and management staff learn to work collaboratively to ensure safer food, healthier working conditions and a culture of respect for all.
Growers have seen impacts in food safety and quality and increased employee engagement and collaboration.
Jessica Pedroza, Co-Owner and Farm Operations Manager at EFI-certified Pacific Agra Farms in Washington state, says, “Investing in our workers is very important and the end result is a better and responsibly grown product. We need to invest in proper training and proper knowledge in order to have those safety measures followed. Anybody that invests in their employees is going to have a better product.”
Farmworkers at an Alpine Fresh EFI-certified packing operation in Tecate, Mexico, used their training in communication and problem-solving to create a solution for an ongoing issue with the lunch break system that management had not been able to solve previously.
At EFI-certified Abundant Harvest Organics stone fruit farm and packing shed in California, teams trained in soft skills through EFI workforce development training contributed easy-to-execute yet impactful ideas for improvements to enhance the safety of field equipment and work protocols.
West Mathison, President of Stemilt Growers, asserts that the skills his employees gained through EFI’s workforce development training have contributed to improving his company’s culture and ability to achieve its mission.
The Future of Upskilling in Agriculture
In a recent webinar, Kevin Boyle, Director of Business and New Product Development for EFI, noted the lack of a credentialing system or a career ladder for agriculture, despite the ways that technology and industry changes are creating demand for adaptable workers with specialized skills.
EFI is working to build a library of skills that will help farmworkers and fresh produce companies identify important transferable skills and lay out career pathways with upward mobility for farmworkers.
Learn more about how EFI can help upskill your workforce through customizable workforce development training.
