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PEI Farm Team doubles bursaries for students willing to work on farms

The P.E.I. provincial government has doubled the bursary incentive offered by PEI Farm Team to help with the additional labour challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PEI Farm Team was created to help Island farmers fill seasonal labour needs by connecting farmers with students in need of summer jobs.

This year, the provincial government doubled the bursary incentive to $1,000 for high school students returning to grades 11 or 12 in the fall of 2020, and $2,000 for students starting or returning to post-secondary education in the fall. Students who fit the eligibility requirements and complete a summer job on a farm can receive the bursary.

“This year more than ever, P.E.I. farmers need help keeping our local food systems strong,” The PEI Farm Team wrote in the announcement on Facebook.

According to The PEI Farm Team, the provincial government pays for 87.5 per cent of this bursary and the employer covers the rest, or 12.5 per cent of the bursary. An employer would pay $125 toward a bursary for a high school student who completes a summer job on the farm, and $250 toward a bursary for a student in or entering post-secondary education.

Interested P.E.I. employers can complete the application form on The PEI Farm Team website. Students who wish to be hired under the bursary program will need to complete the student participation form. Completed forms can be submitted by email, fax or in-person at any SkillsPEI office. The PEI Farm Team says that the provincial government is in the process of creating a website to match farmers with willing workers, but students and employers can get in touch directly until then.

The PEI Farm Team is a joint initiative of the PEI Agriculture Sector Council, PEI Federation of Agriculture and Skills Canada PEI, with funding from the Department of Agriculture and Land and the Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture.