GATINEAU, QC, May 18, 2021 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on Canadian workers with many facing job losses and the need to upgrade or learn new skills to re-join the workforce. The Government of Canada has been there for workers and their families throughout the pandemic and continues to make ground-breaking investments to create jobs and help businesses come roaring back. Making sure that workers can improve or acquire new skills is key to achieving that goal.
Today, during a virtual meeting with stakeholders, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough launched Skills for Success, a new skills training program to help Canadians improve their foundational skills so they can find and keep good jobs. The program will provide training to nearly 90,000 Canadians and help get them back to work.
Skills for Success will fund organizations to provide tools, resources and training to Canadians of all ages and at all skill levels. Developed with the assistance of key stakeholders, it will focus on the nine main skills that Canadians need to adapt and thrive in today's economy:
- Reading –The ability to find, understand, and use information presented through words, symbols, and images.
- Writing – The ability to share information using written words, symbols, and images.
- Numeracy – The ability to find, understand, use, and report mathematical information presented through words, numbers, symbols, and graphics.
- Digital – The ability to use digital technology and tools to find, manage, apply, create and share information and content.
- Problem solving – The ability to identify, analyze, propose solutions, and make decisions. Problem solving helps you to address issues, monitor success, and learn from the experience.
- Communication – The ability to receive, understand, consider, and share information and ideas through speaking, listening, and interacting with others.
- Collaboration – The ability to contribute and support others to achieve a common goal.
- Creativity and innovation – The ability to imagine, develop, express, encourage, and apply ideas in ways that are novel, unexpected, or challenge existing methods and norms.
- Adaptability – The ability to achieve or adjust goals and behaviours when expected or unexpected change occurs, by planning, staying focused, persisting, and overcoming setbacks.
Later this year, the Government will launch a call for proposals to fund organizations to design and deliver this training. The program will respond to 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. It will also build the capacity of organizations and employers, and support the work of provinces and territories as the economy recovers.
Budget 2021 committed $298 million over three years, beginning in 2021-22, to support Skills for Success. This new program is part of the Government of Canada's commitment to create 500,000 new training and work opportunities for Canadians. This initiative will give them the tools they need to thrive in this rapidly changing economy and ensure they have the skills they need to adjust when necessary – allowing us to come out of this pandemic stronger and more resilient than ever before.
Quotes
"Never has the ability to adapt been more important than now. Skills for Success will allow more Canadians to improve their skills, find a job and be able to adapt when needed. This modern and innovative approach to essential skills is what Canadian workers need and what our economy needs as we work to recover from this pandemic. Our goal is to leave no one behind and for all Canadians to thrive in the workplace."
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
"Skills for Success will make a difference for so many Canadians needing to reskill and upskill in the face of unemployment and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach this new model offers will be a game-changer in strengthening skills upgrading and helping Canadians who face barriers to education and employment succeed post-COVID and well beyond."
– Denise Amyot, President and CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada and Member of the Future Skills Council
Quick Facts
- Skills for Success are the skills needed to participate, adapt and thrive in learning, work and life. Skills for Success include foundational skills, like writing, reading and numeracy, which are those skills on which all other skills are built, and socio-emotional skills – the human skills required for effective social interaction. These skills can overlap and interact with each other, and with other technical and life skills.
- Currently, 45 per cent of Canadians lack the literacy, numeracy, and digital skills that are increasingly necessary to succeed in jobs in the knowledge economy.
- According to a 2016 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), adults with higher proficiency in literacy, numeracy and problem solving have better labour market outcomes with greater chances of employment and higher wages when employed than those with lower levels of skills.
- It is estimated that a 1% increase in average literacy rates in Canada, over time, would increase the gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 3% and productivity by up to 5%. Investments in women and individuals with the lowest literacy levels would have the greatest effect on growth.
- Starting today and for the next ten weeks, a video series to introduce Skills for Success will be unveiled on social media. The series will provide an overview of the new program, and highlight the nine skills that will help Canadians find and keep good jobs. Employers, training providers and all Canadians can learn more by following Employment and Social Development Canada's Facebook and Twitter accounts, or by following the hashtag #SkillsForSuccess.
Related Products
- Backgrounder: Federal Training Investments
Government of Canada investments in training and skills development
Training will help workers access the skills, tools and opportunities they need to maximize their labour market potential and provide employers with the skilled workers they need to succeed. The Government of Canada's investments in training will help create opportunities for all Canadians – by tackling the barriers that keep too many Canadians out of the labour force.
In the 2020 Speech from the Throne, the government announced its commitment to create one million jobs and restore employment to pre-pandemic levels. Despite the severe impacts of the pandemic's second and third wave on Canadian workers and businesses, we are on track to create one million jobs by the end of the year. The plan outlined in Budget 2021 will create almost 500,000 new job and training opportunities for workers over coming years.
Empowering all Canadians to train and develop their skills
To equip Canadians with the skills they need to get and keep good jobs in our evolving labour market, Budget 2021 committed $298 million over three years, in a new Skills for Success program. The program will fund organizations to design and deliver training to help all Canadians to enhance foundational skills such as numeracy, as well as soft skills, such as collaboration. Through the program, approximately 90,000 Canadians will be able to improve their foundational and transferable skills to better prepare for, get and keep a job, and adapt and succeed at work.
To further bolster training supports for those hardest hit by the pandemic, including marginalized and racialized women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and newcomers to Canada, the Government invested an additional $274.2 million over two years, as part of the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. This funding will support the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program, the Foreign Credential Recognition Program, the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, and the Women's Employment Readiness pilot project.
Demand-driven employer and community-led workforce strategies
To help small and medium-sized employers create more jobs, Budget 2021 committed $470 million over three years in a new Apprenticeship Service. This initiative will help 55,000 first-year apprentices in eligible Red Seal trades connect with opportunities at small and medium-sized employers. Additional supports will be provided to employers who hire those from underrepresented groups, including women, racialized Canadians, and persons with disabilities to help support a more inclusive skilled trades workforce.
Through the new Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, the Government of Canada will work with sector associations and employers to design and deliver training that is relevant to the needs of businesses. Budget 2021 committed $960 million over three years to connect up to 90,000 Canadians with the training they need to access good jobs in sectors where employers are looking for skilled workers. This includes sectors like health, clean energy, as well as construction. This funding will also help businesses recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce.
To assist communities in determining their economic futures and meet the needs of local employers, Budget 2021 committed $55 million over three years, for a new Community Workforce Development Program. The program will support communities to develop local plans that connect employers with training providers to develop and deliver training and work placements that upskill and reskill jobseekers to fill jobs in demand. This initiative will benefit approximately 2,500 workers, 250 businesses, and 25 communities, by accelerating job creation and the re-employment and deployment of workers to growth areas.
To help prepare Canadian workers for jobs in the growing field of energy efficiency, Natural Resources Canada announced over $200,000 in e-training opportunities in June 2020. The initiatives funded by this investment will support Canada's future energy efficiency needs through targeted training of professionals in this emerging field, helping them develop a strong foundation for long-term workforce readiness. These projects will also help improve the energy efficiency of homes, buildings and industrial sectors by ensuring Canadians have the skills to install and maintain energy-efficient equipment, processes and systems.
To take advantage of opportunities for growth in the artificial intelligence sector, Budget 2021 committed up to $443.8 million over ten years for the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. This investment will provide the necessary funding for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research to renew and enhance its research, training, and knowledge mobilization programs.
Helping workers transition to new jobs
To help Canadians find new jobs, workers need to be able to rapidly adapt and upgrade their transferable skills for newer industries. Budget 2021 committed $250 million over three years for Transitioning Workers to New Jobs, an initiative to scale-up proven industry-led, third-party delivered approaches to upskill and redeploy workers to meet the needs of growing industries. This initiative will help approximately 15,500 Canadians connect with new work opportunities.
Many veterans have faced unique challenges during the pandemic. To improve the quality of life for veterans and their families during this challenging period Budget 2021 committed an additional $15 million over three years to Veterans Affairs Canada to expand and enhance the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund for projects that will support veterans during the post COVID-19 recovery, including addressing homelessness, employment, retraining, and health challenges.
Enhanced training for Canadians through provincial and territorial programming
To support Canadian workers to develop new skills and find good jobs, the 2020 Fall Economic Statement provided an investment of $1.5 billion in the Workforce Development Agreements (WDAs) with provinces and territories. This investment will help Canadians in underrepresented groups and those in sectors that have been hardest hit by the pandemic – such as construction, transportation, and hospitality – quickly access supports to re-enter the workforce. Supports could include skills training, on-the-job training, employer-sponsored training, financial assistance and benefits, employment counselling and services, and job opportunities. This funding is in addition to the $3.4 billion provided to provinces and territories in 2020-21 under the WDAs and Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDAs).
Investing in Canada's entrepreneurs
To help all Canadians have an equal chance to succeed and contribute to economic recovery and growth, Budget 2021 committed up to $101.4 million over five years to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Program. This investment will help equity deserving entrepreneurs access funding and capital, mentorship, financial planning services and business training.
To provide affordable financing, increase data, and strengthen capacity within the entrepreneurship ecosystem, Budget 2021 committed up to $146.9 million over four years, starting in 2021-22 to strengthen the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. This investment will offer women entrepreneurs greater access to financing, mentorship and training. Funding would also further support the Women Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Fund and the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub.
Budget 2021 also committed $1.4 billion over four years for a new Canada Digital Adoption Program to help more than 160,000 businesses go digital or enhance their online services. This includes support to train approximately 28,000 young Canadians to help businesses achieve this goal.
Associated Links
Skills for Success
Budget Plan
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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: Marielle Hossack, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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