Welcome to the Rural Ontario Institute

The deadline to apply for AALP Class 15 has been extended to June 30, 2013. Interested participants need to submit an application to the Rural Ontario Institute office by this date to be considered for this 19-month executive leadership program. All application forms are available at http://www.aalp.on.ca/application.aspx .

Based on the results from our recent study of alumni, sponsors and industry, the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) has recently been updated to ensure it is as relevant today as it has been in the past for our agriculture and agri-food sector and rural communities across Ontario. As a result of the program evaluation some seminars have been shortened and an added online learning component in the form of one-hour webinars will be incorporated in the Class 15 program. Optional activity days for at least two of the seminars are also included. The North American and international study tour destinations will remain a part of the curriculum going forward.

Primary producers and members of the agriculture industry are encouraged to apply. The mix of participants from producers and food processors to government and agri-business is one of the most interesting parts of the program. Each participant is given the opportunity to better understand the breadth and depth of the Ontario agriculture industry, as well as the global agricultural industry as part of the program.

Class 15 begins in September 2013, followed by five seminars in various locations in Ontario and four one-hour webinars before embarking on the North American study tour in the summer of 2014. Three more seminars, three webinars and the international study tour wrap up the program in March 2015. For more information, visit www.aalp.on.ca or call 519-826-4204.

There are more than 400 graduates of the AALP program making a difference in the agricultural and agri-food sectors and rural communities in Ontario and beyond.

AALP is a program of the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI), a not-for-profit organization formed in 2010 through the amalgamation of The Centre for Rural Leadership (TCRL) and The Ontario Rural Council (TORC). Governed by a 12-member volunteer board, ROI has a mandate to provide stronger support for key issues facing rural Ontario. The Institute delivers leadership training (including the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program), a mechanism to engage rural and multi-sector stakeholders for the purposes of informing and influencing rural policy development, and third-party program delivery.