Green Certificate Program

The Green Certificate is an on-farm training program in agricultural production and management. The program's objectives are to create awareness among farm managers of the importance of human resource development, to train individuals to fill competently key roles in the farming industry, and to provide a means of certifying the achievement of skills through formal testing. The program was brought into Saskatchewan in May 1995 thanks to the efforts of Walter Jess, then MLA for Redberry. Introduced as a pilot project, the Green Certificate Program has now been recognized in the province by the agricultural industry and Saskatchewan Education. After positive evaluations of a two-year pilot project in some communities and schools, the program was incorporated as a service offered by Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization in 1997. The Green Certificate Program was initially administered through the Department's Sustainable Production Branch; as of July 2001, it became part of the Livestock Development Branch. As of September 2003, the classroom version of the Green Certificate (Agricultural Production Technician, APEC) has been accepted province-wide as an elective through the practical Applied Arts Curriculum in Grades 10-12. Saskatchewan Education reviewed and modified the Green Certificate Program in 1996-97 so that it can be used in Saskatchewan as agricultural courses in Grades 10-12.

Irene Attrux