Government of Canada announces funding agreements to give Albertans better access to jobs and training

June 27, 2018             Edmonton, Alberta      Employment and Social Development Canada

By investing directly in Canada’s greatest asset—its resilient, hardworking people—the Government of Canada is helping to ensure that the economic growth Canada creates is the kind of growth that works for everyone.

Today, the Honourable Minister Patty Hajdu, Canada’s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour and the Honourable Christina Gray, Alberta Minister of Labour, announced that the governments of Canada and Alberta have signed agreements that will see Canada provide the province with over $1.7 billion over six years to invest in Albertan workers. These agreements represent an increase in funding of nearly $500 million over the period, compared to previous funding levels. This increase means that about 124,000 more Alberta workers will benefit than before.

Speaking at Women Building Futures Training Centre, Minister Hajdu said that these agreements will significantly increase the jobs and skills training available to people in Alberta, including apprenticeship training, self-employment training, academic upgrading, English as a second language, and more. 

Through these agreements, the Government of Canada is ensuring more people benefit from programs than before—particularly people from groups typically underrepresented in our workforce, such as people with disabilities, women, and Indigenous people. For example, programs like the Aboriginal Training to Employment Program, the Persons with Developmental Disabilities Employment Preparation and Placement Supports program, and Women Building Futures – which supports more women in building their careers in the skilled trades – will all see renewed funding through the agreements announced today. As innovation and technology continue to change how we live and work, people in Alberta, and all Canadians, are met with new challenges and new opportunities. This Government investment in jobs and skills training will help Alberta’s workforce prepare for the good, well-paying Canadian jobs that will be created by Alberta’s growing economy. Everybody deserves the opportunity to benefit from an innovation-driven economy—and that means ensuring  both employed and unemployed people have opportunities to acquire the skills they will need for the jobs of today as well as the jobs of tomorrow.

The agreements announced today are the new Workforce Development Agreement (WDA) and the Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA). In the first two years, Alberta will receive approximately $490 million—more than $182 million through the WDA and nearly $308 million through the LMDA.

Results matter. That is why these agreements include a commitment to performance measurement. That means that Canada and Alberta will be able to measure how programs are increasing people’s earnings, helping them get jobs that last, and breaking down barriers for under‑represented groups like Indigenous people, people with disabilities and women. The Government of Canada will be reporting to Canadians on the impacts of these programs, so that they are transparent and so that they can be continually improved.

The WDA will help Alberta deliver training and services, such as:

• The Canada-Alberta Job Grant, which allows new and existing employees to increase their knowledge and skills through training jointly funded by employers and government.
  
• Disability related employment supports, including funding for technologies like specialized computer software, tutors, and worksite modifications such as wheelchair ramps.
  
• Academic upgrading.
  
• English as a Second Language training.
  
• Indigenous skills training programs, including the Aboriginal Training to Employment Program and First Nations Training to Employment Program.

Funding under the LMDA will allow Alberta to help more people and more employers meet their needs, through measures such as:

• Support for apprentices and jobs in construction – essential for building the infrastructure we need for our economy to thrive.
  
• Transition to Employment Services, such as the Shuttle Program at Higher Landing, which gives unemployed Albertans individualized services in career management and job search skills to help them return to work as soon as possible.
  
• Women Building Futures, which provides exposure and training in non-traditional career options in the construction trades to women.

Every Canadian deserves a fair and equal chance at success in the workforce. Through smart investments like the provincial agreements announced today, we can strengthen our middle class and help more of the people working so hard to join it.