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November 25, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05-99
OTTAWA, ONTARIO - The Honourable Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing, today announced that the Government of Canada will provide over $1.4 million through the Sector Council Program to the Canadian Plastics Sector Council (CPSC) to promote a skilled workforce in the plastics industry.
"Today's investment to support a skilled workforce in our country's plastics sector is critical for ensuring the long-term competitiveness of this important industry," said Minister Fontana. "The
Government of Canada has made it a priority to invest in people in order to promote a strong economy and ensure that Canadians have every opportunity to succeed."
The CPSC will use the funding for three projects to address skills issues in the plastics processing industry. The Council is a national not-for-profit association created to explore and address emerging human resources issues in this industry.
"The CPSC is grateful to the Government of Canada for its recognition of the plastics industry as a significant contributor to our nation's economy," said Charles Brimley, CPSC Executive Director. "Funds for these three projects will have a very positive impact on all of our major stakeholder groups, including employers, workers, teachers, students and all levels of government. The projects will help ensure the continued productivity and competitiveness of the plastics industry, for the benefit of all Canadians."
Today's announcement is linked to Canada's Workplace Skills Strategy, which seeks to help Canadians become the best-trained, most highly skilled workers in the world, and to ensure 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 (such as mining and textiles) and emerging industries (such as 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 these projects 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.
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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
Canadian Plastics Sector Council (CPSC)
Stakeholder Outreach Program - This project will help the CPSC to strengthen its links with employers, workers, educational institutions, governments and students, leading to greater use of the Council's career awareness products.
$953,128
Certification E-Tool - This project will develop a Web-based worker evaluation tool to objectively compare the competencies of individual practitioners with the competency-based occupational standards previously developed by the Council. The tool will be fully implemented by March 31, 2008.
$401,939
Virtual HR Department for the Plastics Processing Industry - Through the development of a series of generic Web-based utilities, the CPSC will help small- and medium-sized enterprises improve their productivity and competitiveness.
$135,600
Total
$1,490,667
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