Government of Canada invests in foundational skills training for workers in Nova Scotia
News release
August 24, 2022 Halifax, Nova Scotia Employment and Social Development Canada
Canada’s economic recovery is well underway. We have recovered 115% of the jobs lost during pandemic. In fact, our economic growth is beginning to outpace the ability of some employers to find workers. The country has faced shifting demographics, new technologies, and different practices, such as gig and part-time work. New sectors like green technology are growing rapidly. The ways we work, such as teleworking and digitalization, are creating more options for people. Now, more than ever, it’s critical that workers have the foundational and transferable skills they need to adapt, and thrive in the evolving workforce of today.
Today, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced that the Government of Canada is investing over $3.7 million to Digital Nova Scotia through the Skills for Success program. Digital Nova Scotia’s Skills for Hire Atlantic project will provide skills training for 1500 participants across the four Atlantic provinces on the skills that employers are seeking in the tech industry. These short-term courses on data analytics and web development will help participants enter or rejoin the tech fields with an industry recognized certification.
With this federal funding, Digital Nova Scotia will also develop a digital platform to support learning through online courses and workshops, as well as establishing support systems for students through tutoring, industry mentorships and partnerships to foster their professional development.
The Government of Canada launched the Skills for Success program in 2021, with a focus on nine foundational and transferable skills that Canadians need to participate, adapt and thrive in learning, work and life. They include foundational skills like writing, reading and numeracy, and socio-emotional skills – the human skills required for effective social interaction, such as collaboration, communication, problem solving, adaptability, and creativity and innovation.
The Skills for Success program is part of the Government of Canada’s ongoing effort to address the immediate and long-term training needs, particularly for under-represented groups in the labour market, including Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and racialized Canadians. The projects funded by the Skills for Success program will contribute to an estimated 90,000 skills training opportunities, helping deliver on the Government’s commitment to create 500,000 new training and work opportunities for Canadians.
Quotes
“As new industries emerge, and the ways we work evolve, we need to make sure that everyone who wants to work, has the chance to. That’s why the work that organizations like Digital Nova Scotia are doing is so important. They’re equipping workers across Atlantic Canada with the foundational and transferable skills that employers are looking for, so they can get a job, and go to work with confidence.”
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
“We need a strong, skilled and resilient workforce to support our growing economy in Nova Scotia, and across Atlantic Canada. The work that Digital Nova Scotia is doing to train workers entering the tech sector is vital to this initiative. We’re proud to invest in this project, and look forward to seeing the positive impact it has on our workforce, our communities, and the individual lives of these skilled workers.”
– Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for Central Nova, Sean Fraser
“Through this partnership with Digital Nova Scotia, our government is helping train more Atlantic Canadians for the skills employers are seeking in the tech industry. I’m proud we are investing in these opportunities that will help connect more people with the fast-growing tech sector.”
– Member of Parliament for Kings—Hants, Kody Blois
“Our Skills for Hire Atlantic program up-skills participants from across Atlantic Canada to prepare them for entry-level tech roles. Leveraging transferable and valuable skills built through their own life experiences, this program provides technical and professional training opportunities to help program participants forge career paths into the exciting world that tech represents, while addressing the digital talent shortage many employers continue to face.”
– Wayne Sumarah, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Nova Scotia
Quick facts
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Digital Nova Scotia is receiving an investment of $3,788,720 for its Skills for Hire Atlantic Project.
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Announced in Budget 2021, the Government of Canada is investing nearly $298M over three years in the Skills for Success Program. This funding will support Canadians at all skill levels to improve their foundational and transferable skills to better prepare for, get and keep a job, and adapt and succeed at work.
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Currently, 45 per cent of Canadians lack the literacy, numeracy, and digital skills that are increasingly necessary to succeed in jobs in the knowledge economy.
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Contacts
For media enquiries, please contact:
Tara Beauport
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
tara.beauport@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
343-576-1628
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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