June 5, 2019 Toronto, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada
The Government of Canada recognizes the nature of work is changing and that Canadians a real chance at workplace success. That is why the Government is making sure Canadian workers are able to retrain and upgrade their skills at any point in their career.
Today, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced $1,117,879 in funding for Palette Skills Inc's project.: Upskilling Mid-Career Workers Impacted by Automation. This project will provide mid-career retail workers with the skills necessary to get good quality sales and marketing jobs in the growing information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The project is funded through the Sectoral Initiatives Program.
Employers in the ICT sector identified difficulties in finding workers with relevant technical skills, experience and leadership qualities. For this pilot project, 60 workers will receive tailored skills training and paid job placements to gain the skills needed to transition from retail to the ICT sector. Ten ICT employers will help design the training program and offer paid job placements.
Best practices learned about mid-career job transitions through this project will be shared with other companies and sectors of the economy. This information sharing will guide other companies and sectors to successfully help Canadian workers transition to in-demand careers, as the labour market continues to adapt to technological change.
"As the nature of work changes, it is important that Canadians are able to continue developing their skills throughout their careers. This project takes action to help Canadians learn new skills that will allow them to get good-quality jobs that are in demand in innovative and growing sectors."
- The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
"Canada's economy is changing - and we need to make sure Canadian workers have the tools they need to take advantage of that change. This pilot project will help mid-career workers gain valuable skills to access good jobs and benefit from Canadian innovations."
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
"As the nature of work changes, Palette is creating new opportunities for mid-workers to transition their careers into high growth industries, while helping companies address skills shortages. Through our upskilling programs, we are helping companies find the talent they need to scale, putting workers on a more stable and promising career path, and better positioning Canada to succeed in the digital economy."
- AJ Tibando, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Palette
Quick facts
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90% of workers participating in the pilot project are expected to find work in the ICT sector after completing the program.
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775,500 people worked in core ICT jobs in 2017, accounting for 3.9% of Canadian employment that year.
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Real GDP produced by the Canadian ICT sector increased by 4.1% between July 2017 and July 2018.
