August 10, 2022 Regina, Saskatchewan 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, and Saskatchewan's Minister of Immigration and Career Training, Jeremy Harrison highlighted the Canada-Saskatchewan agreement to provide over $3.7 million in funding under the Skills for Success program. This project will develop a skills-based assessment tool that can measure the skill levels of Saskatchewan residents and help employers make informed decisions around hiring and skills training. This funding will also support the development of training and assessment resources to be housed online where they will be available to instructors, practitioners and tutors free of charge. Approximately 2,500 participants are expected to benefit from this funding, with a specific focus on Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, women and newcomers.
The Skills for Success program focuses 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.
In addition, the Skills for Success program is helping address Canada's 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.
