Sixty retail workers to receive training and job placements to transition to the Information and Communications Technology sector
TORONTO, June 5, 2019 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada recognizes the nature of work is changing and that Canadians a real chance at workplace success. That is why the Government is making sure Canadian workers are able to retrain and upgrade their skills at any point in their career.
Today, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced $1,177,879 in funding for Palette Skills Inc's project.: Upskilling Mid-Career Workers Impacted by Automation. This project will provide mid-career retail workers with the skills necessary to get good quality sales and marketing jobs in the growing information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The project is funded through the Sectoral Initiatives Program.
Employers in the ICT sector identified difficulties in finding workers with relevant technical skills, experience and leadership qualities. For this pilot project, 60 workers will receive tailored skills training and paid job placements to gain the skills needed to transition from retail to the ICT sector. Ten ICT employers will help design the training program and offer paid job placements.
Best practices learned about mid-career job transitions through this project will be shared with other companies and sectors of the economy. This information sharing will guide other companies and sectors to successfully help Canadian workers transition to in-demand careers, as the labour market continues to adapt to technological change.
Quotes
"As the nature of work changes, it is important that Canadians are able to continue developing their skills throughout their careers. This project takes action to help Canadians learn new skills that will allow them to get good-quality jobs that are in demand in innovative and growing sectors."
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
"Canada's economy is changing – and we need to make sure Canadian workers have the tools they need to take advantage of that change. This pilot project will help mid-career workers gain valuable skills to access good jobs and benefit from Canadian innovations."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
"As the nature of work changes, Palette is creating new opportunities for mid-workers to transition their careers into high growth industries, while helping companies address skills shortages. Through our upskilling programs, we are helping companies find the talent they need to scale, putting workers on a more stable and promising career path, and better positioning Canada to succeed in the digital economy."
– AJ Tibando, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Palette
Quick Facts
- 90% of workers participating in the pilot project are expected to find work in the ICT sector after completing the program.
- 775,500 people worked in core ICT jobs in 2017, accounting for 3.9% of Canadian employment that year.
- Real GDP produced by the Canadian ICT sector increased by 4.1% between July 2017 and July 2018.
Associated Link
Palette Skills Inc.
Sectoral Initiatives Program
Backgrounder
Changing demands of the workplace
Canada is home to a well-educated and highly skilled workforce, but rapid technological change and globalization are accelerating the need to learn and develop new skills. As the demands of the workplace change, so too must the skills that workers bring to their jobs. The Government of Canada is taking action to ensure that workers, employers and post-secondary education institutions have the information necessary to address the current and upcoming challenges of rapidly evolving work environments.
Sectoral Initiatives Program
The Sectoral Initiatives Program is a grants and contributions program that helps address current and future skills shortages by supporting the development and distribution of sector-specific labour market information, national occupational standards and skills certification and accreditation systems.
The Program funds multi-year partnership-based projects in key economic sectors to advance the Canadian labour market.
The Program will:
- develop sectoral labour market information that is national in scope or has national significance and leads to improved understanding of sectoral labour markets;
- support creative solutions that explore new ways of addressing labour market issues;
- develop national occupational standards that are validated by industry; and
- develop certification and accreditation programs that are industry-driven and validated by industry at the national level.
Through programs like the Sectoral Initiatives Program, the Government is helping to address the skills requirements in key sectors of the economy. It helps industries identify, forecast and address workforce and skills development gaps, including attracting integrating and retaining workers, particularly under-represented groups such as Indigenous people and new immigrants.
The goal of the Sectoral Initiatives Program is to fund projects that will give workers, employers and post-secondary education institutions access to sectoral labour market information that will address the changing skills needs in many industries.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For further information: For media enquiries, please contact: Véronique Simard, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, [email protected], 819-654-5611; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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