Human Resource Development The H.R. Response
The Basic Issue
A second response to the pressures and changes in the rural sector of Canada is the Human Resource response. The development of human resources takes several forms and is carried out for a variety of reasons:
- Workers who can no longer enjoy their "entitlement" to farm often need retraining into another career either locally or in a larger urban center.
- Farmers who need to diversify their operations, for example into industrial style farming, often need training themselves and for their workers.
- Spouses of farmers are traveling to the nearby towns in order to earn supplemental income or pursue careers of their own now they are freed from much of the farm labor typical of farming in earlier times. These people often need to upgrade their education.
- New industries in small towns need upgrading and training for their workers.
- As the information age expands into the rural areas the demand for training and general education rises for rural residents who wish to seek out new ventures in their home areas , like e-businesses.
The explosion of on-line courses and distance education resources, particularly through the Internet is astounding. Many universities are putting their course notes on line for free, and huge databases of articles and library resources are now available anywhere in the world. The opportunities for human resource development in any field are accessible to most rural citizens, and the government is moving rapidly to make high speed internet access available to at least 85% of Canada's population by 2005.
A third response to rural change concerns the activities of government itself, resulting in a heightened interest in civic change.
Aspects of Human Resource Development
Rural Development Institute Research Studies
Other Resources