Agricultural Processing Industry Employment Program (APIEP)

Agriculture and Rural Development

This Program has now ended for 2009

The Agricultural Processing Industry Employment Program (APIEP) provides opportunities for career related experience and skill training for students employed in Alberta's Processing Industry. Funding is renewed on a yearly basis. Employees and employers must apply together for the program; Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development does not do any matching. Employees may approach potential employers and advise them of the program but cannot apply for the program without an employer. Employers must be processors who are adding value to a raw agricultural product; employees must be post-secondary students and must not be related to the employer. Employment must provide career-related experience for the student. Processors who hire a student for the summer will be reimbursed for one-third of the employee's salary up to $500 per month.

Applications are mailed out to potential employers in March and are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The program runs from May 1 to August 31. The program's primary objective is to provide summer job opportunities for unemployed Albertans.

Eligibility Criteria

Which Employers are Eligible?

Employers must be the owner of a value-added agricultural processing business that adds value to, and/or changes the form of a raw agricultural product post-slaughter (e.g. sausage making) or post-harvest (e.g. milling of wheat). The value-added processing business must be located in Alberta.
Employers must be eligible for membership in the Alberta Food Processors Association (AFPA) if they produce a food product.
Employers must be eligible to be part of Alberta's Agricultural Processing Industry Directory. http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/food/process/fdprcdir
Funding is limited to one employee per business and one business per employer. Additional employees and/or business units or branch plants will only be considered if funding is available.
Employers may not exchange students or "job-share" on this program.
Employers must not receive other provincial or federal program funding for the student.

Employer Responsibilities

Recruit their student and verify that all eligibility requirements are met.
Ensure that their student receives a copy of the completed application form.
Ensure the employee is supervised the majority of the time and particularly while performing potentially dangerous or new tasks.
Ensure safe working conditions for the employee.
Notify program staff immediately in the event of an accident or injury.
Pay the employee at a pre-contracted monthly rate, agreed to by both the employer and the employee.
Issue a pay cheque, with appropriate deductions, to the employee on either a bi-monthly or monthly basis.
Maintain a record of the number of days and hours the employee works during the summer.
Complete and submit a Reimbursement Claim Form at the end of the summer.
Send a Record of Employment to the employee and provide a T4 slip to the employee for income tax purposes.
Retain proof of employee payment and hours worked for program audit purposes.
Comply with the Program Guidelines, the Employment Standards Code, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and all other applicable legislation, regulations, and by-laws associated with being an employer in the Province of Alberta. NOTE: Employers who may be classified as farmers under the Employment Standards Code are defined as processors while participating in this program and therefore, are subject to all applicable Employment Standards Regulations. http://www3.gov.ab.ca/hre/employmentstandards
Notify program staff immediately if the student employed is terminated for any reason.
Maintain responsibility for all claims, demands, actions, and costs whatsoever that may arise out of the employer's performance of this agreement, or by the actions of the employer, his agents or employees, whether occasioned by negligence or otherwise.

Who is Eligible to Work?

Students must be enrolled full-time in a degree, diploma or certificate program and must be returning to school full-time in the fall or winter. Students enrolled in graduate studies are also eligible under the program.
Preference will be given to students enrolled in a post-secondary institution located in Alberta. Students attending a post-secondary institution outside Alberta will only be considered for acceptance if funding is available.
Employees must not be a direct relative of the employer. "Direct relative" includes mother, father, spouse, brother, sister, son or daughter.
Employees must be unemployed. Existing part-time employees are eligible if total hours worked over the previous three months averaged less than 20 per week. Employees working full-time for someone other than the employer are eligible if they are terminated before May 1. Employees working for the employer full-time prior to May 1 are not eligible under the program.
Employees must not be working full-time anywhere else or attending school while participating in this program.
Employees must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

Employee Responsibilities

Agree to participate in the program and agree to work for only one specified employer.
Perform all tasks in a responsible and conscientious manner and follow the policies and procedures of the business while employed.
Notify the program staff immediately if your employment is terminated for any reason.

Conditions for Employment

Employment must provide career-related experience for the student and should increase the employee's knowledge of the value-added processing industry. "Career-related experience" is defined as work experience that is related to the student's post-secondary education. Work situations that do not provide career-related experience will only be considered if funding is available.
Employment must be between May 1 and August 31 and must be based in Alberta.
Employment must provide at least four weeks of continuous, full-time employment within the program period.
Employment must be a minimum of 30 hours per week. However, if the employee works more than 8 hours per day or 44 hours per week, overtime must be paid by the employer unless the employee has previously agreed (in writing) to time off in lieu of overtime pay. Overtime hours (as defined by Employment Standards) are either: a) the total of an employee's hours of work in excess of 8 hours on each work day in the work week or b) an employee's hours of work in excess of 44 hours in the work week, whichever is greater. Payment for overtime hours must be at least 1.5 times the employee's wage rate.
The employment of a student under this program must not eliminate, amend or affect the job security of any person who would otherwise have been employed.
A contract under this program does not mean that the employee is considered to be an employee or agent of the Government of Alberta .

Responsibilities of the Government of Alberta

Reimburse the employer for one-third of the employee's monthly wage to a maximum of $500 per month.
Provide workers compensation coverage for program employees.

How to Apply for the Program

Interested employers must complete and submit an application by April 21, 2006. Employers may not submit an application without the name of a student.
Employers will be notified of their initial status as soon as possible once a complete application has been received.
Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds are committed or April 21, 2006 whichever comes first.
Old applications will not be accepted.
Faxed copies will be accepted as an original application. No original form is required.
Applications for a second student must be obtained by contacting program staff.

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