Government of Canada creating more skills training opportunities for Canadians

The Voice of Canada :

Canada’s job market continues to evolve, creating new opportunities for Canadians and areas for growth. Now more than ever, it is critical that we expand and strengthen our workforce and get Canadians the skills and resources they need to thrive. That is why the Government is investing in projects that will help Canadians improve their foundational and transferable skills.

Today, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages Randy Boissonnault announced over $16.5 million in funding to nine organizations in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) that are helping to create more skills training opportunities and resources for Canadians. The funding is provided through the Skills for Success Program and is expected to directly support over a thousand Canadians and potentially many more through investments in research.

Minister Boissonnault made the announcement during a visit to WoodGreen Community Services, a non-profit charitable organization that will receive $1.17 million for its project, Enabling Employment and Broad Adoption of Skills for Success for Older Workers. This innovative project will provide racialized adults in the GTA with training in key skill areas such as digital literacy, collaboration, adaptability, creativity and innovation, communication and problem solving. The project, which will run for 12 months, will deliver hybrid programs to over 106 individuals, providing them with training and skills assessment services in writing, numeracy and reading.

Today’s announcement supports the Government’s ongoing actions to increase training opportunities for Canadians. It also responds to the immediate and long-term training needs of Canadians, particularly for under-represented groups in the labour market, including persons with disabilities, racialized Canadians, Indigenous people, official language minority communities and newcomers. Launched in May 2021, the Skills for Success Model 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, and creativity and innovation. 

Quotes

“We are providing Canadian workers with every opportunity to get the skills and resources they need to succeed in today’s workforce. Through major investments like this, we are ensuring that more Canadians break into the workforce and advance professionally in their careers, and that they do so with confidence.”- Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official languages, Randy Boissonnault

“The generous investment of $1.17 million has helped enable employment and broad adoption of skills for jobseekers who are 45 and older, particularly racialized individuals in the Greater Toronto Area. This population is of deep concern as there is a growing number of Toronto’s unemployed who are of this demographic. Through the Skills for Success funding WoodGreen was able to adapt our program to cater to the needs of racialized adults seeking skills development and upskilling support by offering them training in key areas such as digital literacy, collaboration, adaptability, creativity and innovation, communication and problem solving. We have witnessed firsthand how clients have been able to improve their foundational and transferable skills using the Skills for Success Model to better prepare for, get and keep a job.”- Steve Vanderherberg, Vice  President of Community Programs, WoodGreen Community Services 

Quick facts

• 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.
• 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.
• Announced in Budget 2021, the Government of Canada invested nearly $298M over three years in the Skills for Success Program. Currently, the Skills for Success Program is supporting more than 60,000 Canadians in acquiring vital skills, and anticipates exceeding its target of supporting 90,000 Canadians.