[Music.]
[TITLE: Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.]
[Shots of young butcher apprentices working in a meat cutting facility. Different shots of the apprentices, and close-up shots of them cutting meat. After this, we see Cory Van Groningen in front of a retail butcher counter.]
CORY VAN GRONINGEN - VG Meats >> Chop School is our method to bring basically unemployed and underemployed people to an entry level of a quite highly skilled position. So, a butcher isn't something necessarily that people can just enter into without any previous knowledge. When we initially advertised for people to come to our Chop School, we had hundreds of resumes mailed to us. And then we had about 12 or 13 come to the first Chop School.
[Shots of young butcher apprentices working in a meat cutting facility. Different shots of the apprentices, and close-up shots of them cutting meat.]
KEVIN VAN GRONINGEN - VG Meats >> The first thing that is really important when we're looking for folks is that they've got heart, they've got desire to master their trade.
[Sarah Hyde is seen working as one of the apprentices in the meat cutting facility, speaking with a fellow student.]
SARAH HYDE - Chop School Graduate/VG Meats Butcher >> It means a lot because I have my own family that I need to provide for so it's nice to have a job that has been around for a long time and is going to continue to be around for a long time.
[We see close-up shots of meat in a retail environment - cut professionally, and on display for purchase.]
CORY VAN GRONINGEN >> I think the Award acknowledges the real hurdle that we were able to overcome. When we have the same challenge again in the future, and we need to grow, we will be doing more Chop Schools as well. We're happy to be able to bring Chop School to a rural Ontario area.
[TITLE: Congratulations to VG Meats.]
[TITLE: Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.]