Assiniboine Community College’s Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture has received a generous contribution of $100,000 from local agricultural equipment dealer, Rocky Mountain Equipment (RME).

“RME is pleased to support the future of agriculture education and training in Manitoba through the Prairie Innovation Centre at Assiniboine. We feel this project and ag-related training at the college is extremely important in attracting today’s youth who have interest in the agriculture industry and the opportunities it presents,” said Jim Wood, Chief Sales and Operating Officer, Rocky Mountain Equipment.

Having a large footprint in the Manitoba community, RME has numerous Assiniboine graduates currently on staff, and our hope is this initiative helps attract new employees to RME and the ag industry in general, better equipping all to better serve the farming customer.

The campaign to build this state-of-the-art facility on the college’s North Hill campus is Assiniboine’s largest philanthropic undertaking and aims to address the growing needs of Manitoba’s agriculture sector, where it’s expected that one in five jobs could go unfilled by 2029.

“The Prairie Innovation Centre will bring a necessary expansion of agriculture training to Assiniboine, addressing the current and developing gaps in the labour market and serving as a hub for agricultural innovation,” said Derrick Turner, Director of Advancement and External Relations at Assiniboine.

That’s really the purpose of the Centre when you boil it down—to ensure both students interested in pursuing agriculture-related careers and the agriculture industry are set for success.

Creating an enhanced agricultural training capacity, the Centre will enable the agriculture sector to continue to be an economic driver in the Canadian and Manitoban economy. The project aims to expand seats in agriculture, environment and related technology programs from less than 300 to more than 800 students.

-Article provided by Assiniboine Community College 2021