Suncrest College starts canola crush program

WATCH: In an effort to draw in the next generation into the canola industry, Suncrest Collect has introduced a canola crush program.

Suncrest College has introduced a new Canola Crush program in an effort to expand the next generation of workers in the field.

The 12-week program aims to provide a basic understanding about canola, oilseeds and the crushing process, following an in-depth learning experience on power engineering

Greg Tomcala, applied research coordinator at Suncrest College, explained that the purpose of the course is to give students with no knowledge in farming an introduction to what canola is and what can be made from it.

“With the intention that providing them with this knowledge to give them a base of education, that they can then use to then hopefully be employees at the local canola crushers,” he explained.

With Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and Richardson Oilseed Limited operating canola plants in Yorkton, Tomcala added that the opportunity for employment is available locally.

“Because (canola) is such a growing industry right now, we took it upon ourselves to help create this program, to provide this education to people because there is a demand for employees at these places,” he voiced.

“It’s better they have some knowledge going into this opportunity of employment versus not.”

In partnership with Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC), the first intake of students will be exclusively Indigenous students and will open to the public down the road.

Roughly 15 students are expected to complete the program by April.

“The Yorkton Tribal Council holds the conviction that the pursuit of education and the drive for economic self-sufficiency are a direct exercise of our treaty and inherent rights,” shared YTC’s Tribal Chief Isabel O’Soup in a news release.

“It is within this framework that we’ve wholeheartedly engaged in partnership with Suncrest College to launch the ‘Introduction to Canola Crushing Careers’ program.”

With a few weeks already into the program, Tomcala said students are enjoying it.

“I teach the agriculture part of the program, there’s an essential skills and safety component of it that I don’t get to teach. My portion of it I think the students seem very enthusiastic,” he said.

“Not a lot of them are from a farm background so it’s sort of fresh learning for them. Our biggest focus is trying to get individuals who might not have any experience with it whatsoever to give them at least a baseline, that if they are successfully hired at any of these local crushers, they can walk in with some level of confidence and understanding.”