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October 21, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05-70
LONDON, ONTARIO - The Honourable Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing, today announced that the Government of Canada will provide over $10.8 million, through the Sector Council Program, to promote a skilled workforce in the transportation sector.
Minister Fontana made the announcement after a presentation of Interactive Distance Learning technology for the automotive repair and service sectorheld at a Canadian Tire location in London, Ontario (on Dundas Street). He was accompanied by the Honourable Sue Barnes, Member of Parliament for London Westand Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians.
"With the growing pace of innovation and changing demographics, we must focus more than ever on the skills of our workforce," said Minister Fontana. "We know that our overall economic success depends heavily on productive workplaces that promote skills development. Today's announcement will certainly help address skills issues in the transportation sector, and in particular the auto sector, which is one of the most important areas of our economy."
Today's funding will support skills-related projects by the Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council, the Canadian Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) Council, the Council for Automotive Human Resources, the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council, and the Motor Carrier Passenger Council of Canada.
"The federal government's support for these projects will help workers in the transportation sector gain and maintain the skills and knowledge they need to meet the challenges of today and the future," said Dan Bell, President of the CARS Council. "The ongoing partnerships between our sector organizations and the federal government work because they unite us in initiatives that effectively address the human resources challenges we all face in the globalized Canadian economy. On behalf of the CARS Council and the 254,000 workers we represent, I look forward to continuing this productive partnership in the years to come."
Today's announcement is linked to Canada's Workplace Skills Strategy aimed at helping Canadians to become the best-trained, most highly skilled workers in the world, as well as ensuring that employers' needs are met. The Government of Canada recognizes that Canada's future competitiveness depends on a highly skilled workforce and on high-performance workplaces that focus on skills development. It will join with business, unions, provinces and territories, sector councils and workers to ensure that all Canadians have the opportunity to develop skills enabling them to obtain meaningful and productive jobs.
Sector councils successfully meet emerging skills requirements, addressing skills and labour shortages, and building essential skills in the workplace as a foundation for continuous learning. These organizations bring together business, labour and educational stakeholders in key industries to identify and address common human resources and skills issues, and to find solutions that benefit the sector. They are instrumental in making sure that workers already employed and those seeking employment are well prepared for the challenges of the rapidly evolving labour market.
There are currently 31 sector councils representing traditional industries (e.g., mining and textiles) and emerging industries (e.g., biotechnology and environment). The sector council network now covers approximately 48 percent of the labour market. The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening and expanding the network of sector councils so that more Canadian workers benefit from them.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal Budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
The projects have been reviewed to ensure compliance with the Department's administration of its grant and contribution programs, and are subject to review under the Financial Administration Act.
For details, see the attached backgrounder and Council Fact Sheets.
Motor Carrier Passenger Council of Canada (PDF)
Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (PDF)
Canadian Automotive Repair and Service Council (PDF)
Council for Automotive Human Resources (PDF)
Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council (PDF)
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For more information (media only):
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
(819) 994-5559
BACKGROUNDER
Sector Council
Description of Project
Funding
Motor Carrier Passenger Council of Canada (MCPCC)
Implementation of Accreditation and Certification Programs - This project aims to implement and promote the MCPCC's National Bus Operator Certification and Accreditation programs. The goals of the programs are to recognize accredited training provided to national standards and to recognize the professional status of bus operators who comply with the program criteria.
$394,969
Marketing and Promotion - This project will promote the MCPCC's initiatives, products and services to broader audiences, such as industry employers, workers, unions, associations, educators and other targeted groups. This will enable the Council to become more connected and representative, promoting increased ridership through confidence in the safe delivery of services.
$305,262
Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council (CAMC)
Electronic Data Management System: Phase II - This project aims to automate and interconnect all the CAMC's data management activities.
$1,385,495
Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC)
Research, Phase II - This project will gather updated human resources information to enable the development, implementation and promotion of effective recruiting and retention strategies within the trucking industry.
$617,900
Trucking Career Awareness, Phase II - A plain-language toolkit with content to reach youth, minority groups, new Canadians, workers in transition and women will be developed to promote careers in trucking and address the shortage of long-haul drivers in Canada.
$640,892
Trucking Gap Project - Through consultations with stakeholders, the CTHRC will develop a better understanding of issues that hinder the development of an adequate supply of qualified drivers for the trucking industry, and will develop a plan of action to address these issues.
$285,864
Essential Skills Phase II - Through this project, the CTHRC will work toward the implementation of the Council's National Essential Skills Strategy.
$218,880
Canadian Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) Council
Collision Repair Interactive Distance Learning: Phase II - This project aims to make available convenient, cost-effective and high-quality technical and non-technical training to Canada's auto repair and service sector. The training will be delivered to satellite locations across the country through distance learning technology.
$3,870,436
Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) Curricula Update, Phase II - This project will review 75 CARS training programs to ensure the curricula reflect current vehicle and diagnostic technologies. The updated courses will be added to the CARS Web site and will be promoted across the industry.
$996,396
Professional Development Training Needs Assessment - Through this project, CARS will develop, populate and implement a Web-based human resources information suite that will provide needs assessment tools and an inventory of available training. The project will help to address skills gaps in the current and future workforces.
$1,336,482
E-Learning Training Needs Assessment - This research project will assess the industry's needs and capacity to undertake on-line training, assess how on-line training could complement current professional development training, and develop, if appropriate, an e-learning strategy for CARS and the automotive repair and service industry.
$140,615
Council for Automotive Human Resources (CAHR)
Automotive Manufacturing Sector Study - CAHR will conduct a study to identify and analyze the human resources challenges affecting the industry in order to obtain a baseline of labour market information for use in future sector studies.
$634,481
Total:
$10,827,672
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