NEW YORK— The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced it has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather input from stakeholders that will help the department shape a first-of-its-kind agricultural workforce development program in the state. The department is also looking to identify potential qualified applicants. Deadline to provide information is November 1. The information gathered will be used for the development of the program which hopes to identify internships and apprenticeships across the industry and, working with our educational institutions like the SUNY system, ensure that the necessary skills and standards required by the industry are being taught to students. The program will also focus on working with workforce development entities to match and place the new workforce, including migrant individuals and asylum seekers, directly with industry opportunities.

The RFI and additional information can be found on the department’s website at https://agriculture.ny.gov/.