Government of Canada invests $5.6 million in La Factry skills training initiative for new Canadians Français
MONTRÉAL, May 23, 2023 /CNW/ - Today's job market is ever-changing. While many workers are without the necessary skills to meet on-the-job demands and employers are struggling to find employees to fill vacancies, for some workers, all they need is a little assistance to better integrate into the job market. This is frequently the case for newcomers.
Many newcomers arrive in Canada with a wealth of experience and know-how that could be of great benefit to Canadian employers. However, marketing themselves or mastering interactions in their new workplace can be challenging.
To ensure that all Canadians get the skills they need to succeed in the workforce of today, the Government of Canada is investing in projects that will help Canadians improve their foundational and transferable skills so they can find and keep employment.
Today, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, on behalf of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, announced that La Factry will be receiving nearly $5.6 million through the Skills for Success Program to help implement its Canada Créatif project.
This innovative project will support Francophone newcomers to Canada by providing skills training in key areas such as creativity, innovation, problem solving and communication, while helping them develop their ability to adapt for jobs of the future. La Factry will also work in partnership with Francophone minority community organizations across the country, including La Cité Collégiale in Ontario and French institutions in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories to help develop tools and resources.
This project will offer participants various levels of training as well as online and in-person training modules that will be available to newcomers before they arrive in Canada and newcomers already living across the country. Open to 375 young participants aged 18 to 35, it is one of many dedicated projects that are helping the Government's commitment to create 500,000 new training and work opportunities for Canadians.
This investment responds to Canada's immediate and long-term training needs, particularly for under-represented groups in the labour market, including newcomers. Launched in May 2021, the Skills for Success Program focuses on nine main 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, creativity and innovation.
"Now more than ever, our workforce is in need of skilled workers. Through the Skills for Success Program, the Government of Canada is excited to fund the work of La Factry and its partners across the country to help newcomers get the training they need to succeed in their career of choice."
– The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
"When it comes to immigration, it's important to focus on the person behind the statistics. It's exciting to see a program helping young professionals and entrepreneurs develop their skills and find the path that will help them grow in their careers. They can enhance their abilities for the benefit of society as a whole, and what's more, they can do it in French!"
– The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant
"The Canada Créatif program offers a unique asset to professionals who are Francophone newcomers: access to high-quality training in the essential skills most in demand in the Canadian labour market. Our goal is to help newcomers more quickly find jobs that match their talents. We firmly believe that newcomers bring a wealth of experience that can greatly benefit Canadian businesses. Teaching these generic skills is key."
– Marie Amiot, CEO, La Factry
- The Skills for Success Program was first announced in Budget 2021, and the Government of Canada is investing $298 million over three years. 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 to adapt and succeed at work.
- Currently, 45% of Canadians lack the literacy, numeracy and digital skills that are increasingly necessary to succeed in jobs in the knowledge economy.
- It is estimated that a 1% increase in average literacy rates in Canada, over time, is associated with an increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) of up to 3% and an increase in productivity of up to 5%. Investments in women and individuals with the lowest literacy levels would have the greatest effect on growth.
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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, Carla Qualtrough, [email protected], 343-576-1628; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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