The company’s Professional Development Program prepares candidates for full-time positions in the ag industry post-graduation
By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com
BASF, an ag chemical company, is providing university graduates with on-the-job training to better prepare recruits for the ag workforce.
The industry needs skilled and talented people to meet labour demands. As a result, BASF created its Professional Development Program (PDP) to bridge the skills gap for young Canadians entering the ag sector, a recent company release said.
“The reason that we started the program is because we noticed that, especially in young adults coming out of school, they weren’t quite ready to … engage directly with the workforce,” Jon Sweat, vice-president of BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada, said to Farms.com on Thursday.
“The PDP program … runs our candidates through a rotation where they work one year in an internal-type job inside the office, like marketing, and then one year out externally, like a sales or research-type position.”
In its fifth year, the PDP provides on-the-job training in different areas of the company so that candidates learn relevant and targeted skills that are valuable for the workforce.
The program provides many benefits for participants.
“BASF’s Professional Development Program … gives program attendees a chance to discover different career opportunities within BASF,” Nikki Burton, a current BASF PDP participant, said to Farms.com on Friday.
“I have gained a lot of experience to be able to succeed in a full-time permanent position with BASF.”
The PDP helps graduates improve upon current skills as well as develop such new skills as project management, public speaking, presenting, networking and team building, she added.
The program is integrated into five major ag universities in Canada, the release said. BASF has partnered with the University of Alberta and the University of Saskatchewan, for example.
“The PDP program is a valuable tool to bring people in from different backgrounds … it brings in diverse candidates,” Sweat said.
Since “we put (candidates) through a rotation and they have a chance to learn the business before they are put out in a very specific role, I think (that) helps us attract a more diverse talent pool right out the gate.”
If graduates are interested in participating in the program, they should speak to a BASF rep.
BASF photo