Government of Canada helps Saskatchewan workers develop the skills they need to succeed in today's workforce Français
REGINA, SK, Aug. 10, 2022 /CNW/ - 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.
"Working in partnership with the Government of Saskatchewan, our federal government is equipping thousands of workers across the province with the foundational and transferable skills they need to adapt to, and succeed in, the changing labour market. By helping women, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized Canadians start or shift their careers, we'll continue to create a strong, skilled and resilient workforce in Saskatchewan."
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
"Today's agreement with Canada is a positive step to ensure that federal funding is available to Saskatchewan residents who are interested in pursuing skills training. These resources will strengthen the ability of those in our province who are currently underrepresented in the labour-market to acquire the necessary skills needed to successfully enter and participate in the workforce."
– Saskatchewan's Minister of Immigration and Career Training, Jeremy Harrison
- The Government of Saskatchewan is receiving an investment of $3,757,608 for the development of its Skills for Success assessment tool.
- Announced in Budget 2021, the Government of Canada invested nearly $298M over three years in the Skills for Success Program. This funding will support Canadians at all skill levels to improve their foundational and transferable skills to better prepare for, get and keep a job, and adapt and succeed at work.
- Currently, just under half (45%) of Canadians lack the literacy, numeracy, and digital skills that are increasingly necessary to succeed in jobs in the knowledge-based economy.
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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: Tara Beauport, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, [email protected], 343-576-1628; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]; Jay Teneycke, Government of Saskatchewan, Ministry of Immigration and Career Training, [email protected], 306.787.7969
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