Winkler, Manitoba, November 2, 2007 — Mr. Brian Pallister, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Minister of International Cooperation, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today announced funding for a training and workplace development project in the region, for immigrants.
"The Government of Canada is developing the best-educated, most-skilled and most-flexible work force in the world," said Mr. Pallister. "Our investment in the Determining and Addressing Workplace Needs (DAWN) project will help employers in south central Manitoba provide skills training for new Canadians, and strengthen the local economy."
The Winkler and District Chamber of Commerce will receive funding of $755,260 through the Government of Canada's Workplace Skills Initiative (WSI). The funding will be put towards a project considered important to the future of Winkler's evolving labour force.
"The region is experiencing significant changes in its work force," said Mr. Ken Thomas, President of the Winkler and District Chamber of Commerce. "This project will enable local employers to work with new Canadians in our community on training and development, in order to further enhance their contributions to our workplaces. It's a win-win situation for employers and employees."
The DAWN project will help employers gauge how best to match immigrants' existing skills with job opportunities and identify areas where skills development is required. For immigrants, it will increase access to learning, training and financial support, including opportunities for skills development in the workplace.
The federal Workplace Skills Initiative is a program designed to promote and test promising approaches to skills development, and improve human resources practices in Canada. It also encourages employers to invest in the skills of their employees and inform federal government labour market policy and programming.
The most recent WSI Call for Proposals focuses on three critical groups-older workers, low-skilled workers and newcomers to Canada-and their skills contributions to employers, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises.
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