Human Resources, Labour and Employment
Education
Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
August 3, 2009
Province Gearing Up to Enhance Labour Market
A new Labour Market
Agreement (LMA) and new Strategic Training and
Transition Fund (STTF) will help ensure individuals
throughout Newfoundland and Labrador have access to the
employment and training supports they need.
These new initiatives will help expand and enhance the
current suite of provincial labour market programs to
provide supports for unemployed, non-EI eligible
persons; employed, lower-skilled workers; as well as
workers who are being impacted by the current economic
downturn. Over 2,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians
will benefit from these initiatives this year alone.
These programs are being funded through a $17.8 million
investment in 2009 by the Government of Canada.
�While Newfoundland and Labrador has not experienced the
level of job losses that has affected many other
provinces, the global economic downturn has nevertheless
had a serious impact on a number of our industries,�
noted the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Human
Resources, Labour and Employment. �Through LMA and STTF
funding, the Provincial Government will be able to
increase the level of employment and training supports
available to assist people to quickly transition to new
jobs or occupations. This will help many individuals
remain active participants in the provincial labour
market despite the present state of the global economy,
and will also help us prepare for the increased demand
for skilled workers that we expect in the near future.�
The new programs and services, which will be launched
late summer and early fall, will benefit individuals,
employers and communities throughout the province. They
include investments to expand employment development
supports for individuals � in particular, new
apprentices, persons with disabilities, immigrants, and
other vulnerable groups in the labour market.
These new funds will also support increased access to
strategic training and skills development supports.
Funding will be available to individuals, including
displaced workers, to assist them with their training
costs so they can participate in an expanded suite of
short to medium-term training programs at College of the
North Atlantic and the Marine Institute.
�These strategic training and skills development courses
will be key to helping many people access better
employment opportunities soon after experiencing a
layoff,� said the Honourable Darin King, Minister of
Education. �I am very pleased that we now have
additional financial resources to expand our training
capacity, and I look forward to seeing more people
benefit from these programs in the coming months.�
Employers will also benefit from these new investments.
For example, a new program will introduce
workplace-directed supports to help small to
medium-sized employers address the skills development
needs of their employees while helping them to grow
employment opportunities.
�This will represent considerable new investment in
staff training and development for small- and
medium-sized enterprises,� said the Honourable Shawn
Skinner, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development. �Employers understand the critical need to
support staff development, especially among those with
relatively lower skill levels, at a time when the global
economy is demanding greater competitiveness. Combined
with our existing suite of business supports this will
help advance the expansion plans of many small- and
medium-sized enterprises.�
New programs funded by LMA and STTF investments will
benefit over 2,000 individuals within the province in
this year alone.
�We are very pleased to finally be in a position to
better address these long-standing needs,� added
Minister Sullivan. �This funding will help close key
gaps in labour market supports and services.�
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Media contacts:
Jennifer Collingwood
Director of Communications
Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
709-729-0753, 690-2498
jennifercollingwood@gov.nl.ca
Scott Barfoot
Director of Communications
Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
709-729-4570, 690-6290
scottbarfoot@gov.nl.ca
Jacquelyn Howard
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 689-2624
jacquelynhoward@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
2009-10 Labour Market Initiatives
The Canada-Newfoundland
and Labrador Labour Market Agreement (LMA), first
announced in September 2008, is providing more than $46
million in federal funds over six years into the
province�s labour market. This funding is intended to
help address gaps in the current system for people not
able to access training and employment supports through
EI or Income Support services.
Additionally, the recent federal budget included funding
to assist those affected by the current economic
downturn. Through the Strategic Training and Transition
Fund (STTF), $14.4 million has been added to the LMA
over the next two years to respond to those needs.
Together, these investments will be directed towards the
following areas:
2009-10
Investments: $17.8 million |
Priority Area:
Increasing Participation and Labour Force
Attachment |
Strategic
Training and Skills Development:
Investments will support College of the North
Atlantic and the Marine Institute in expanding
course offerings throughout the province for
short-term training programs specifically
targeted to respond to existing program
waitlists, high demand occupations and strategic
growth sectors of the economy. Funding will
increase access to training opportunities for
unemployed and employed individuals who have
been negatively impacted by the current economic
downturn and help ensure they have maximum
opportunity to transition to jobs in new
occupations and industries. Participants in
these training programs may be eligible to
receive financial supports towards tuition and
other related training expenses. |
Targeted Wage
Subsidy for Persons with Disabilities
Through the Public Service Secretariat,
investments will support expanding the
provincial targeted wage subsidy program for
individuals with disabilities to provide work
experience opportunities to those who are
unemployed and non-EI eligible. |
Targeted
Supports for Apprentices
The Departments of Education and Human
Resources, Labour and Employment will expand
supports and services for apprentices and
skilled trades workers.
The Graduate Employment Program (GEP) will be
expanded to allow for additional placements to
assist unemployed, non-EI eligible new
apprenticeship graduates, particularly women,
gain the work experience they need to move
toward journey person certification.
Supports will also be introduced under a new
Journey Person Certification Program (JPC) to
assist individuals who are working in skilled
trades occupations acquire the training and
occupational certification they need to continue
employment or qualify as a certified journey
person. Participants in this program may be
eligible to receive supports towards tuition and
other related training expenses. |
Supports for
Adult Workplace Literacy and Essential Skills
Training
The Department of Education will increase
access to adult basic education, essential
skills development and training opportunities
among unemployed, non-EI eligible individuals
and employed workers with low literacy skills.
This will include up to $2000 towards training
related expenses for individuals participating
in Adult Basic Education Level I programs and an
increase in the number of scholarships, valued
at $2000, for graduates of Adult Basic Education
programs towards further post-secondary
training.
The Department of Education will also be
investing in training to support ABE instructors
in assessing individuals with learning
disabilities. |
Expansion of
Employment Development Supports and Services
The Departments of Education and Human
Resources, Labour and Employment will expand and
enhance access to employment development and
training programs to provide unemployed, non-EI
eligible individuals and low-skilled workers
with a range of supports to assist them prepare
for, find and maintain employment, including a
new workplace essential skills program. The
initiative will also support the College of the
North Atlantic in expanding its employment
outreach programs. Participants in training
programs may be eligible to receive support
towards tuition and other related training
expenses. |
Increased
Supports for Labour Market Integration of
Immigrants
The Department of
Human Resources, Labour and Employment will
enhance and expand access to labour market
integration supports and services for immigrants
including:
- Expanding
settlement and integration services to the
Central and Labrador regions to coordinate
access to services for newcomers and their
family members;
- Providing
culturally sensitive labour market
information to increase awareness of
workforce/workplace diversity and the
benefits of hiring new international
graduates while supporting employers in
recruiting and retaining immigrant workers;
and
- Supporting
the Association for New Canadians in
piloting innovative bridging supports
designed to assist work-ready immigrants to
gain Canadian work experience and
demonstrate their skills and competencies to
potential employers.
|
Priority Area:
Enhancing Recruitment, Retention and Development
|
Supports for
Workplace-Directed Skills Development and
Training
The Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development is developing workforce supports and
services through workplace-directed initiatives
for small- and medium-sized employers and their
employees. These supports will assist employers,
especially those in key growth sectors of the
economy, to implement the human resource
strategies required to attract and retain new
employees and strengthen skills development
among existing employees to help them compete
and grow.
The new supports and services will complement
the department�s comprehensive suite of business
development programs and strengthen business
retention and expansion efforts to support local
employers in maintaining and growing employment
opportunities, improving productivity and
competitiveness, and ultimately contributing to
a positive local business climate. |
Recruitment
and Retention Toolkit
The Department of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment will implement a suite of integrated
recruitment and retention supports and services
for small and medium-sized employers, including
an online toolkit of information resources and
applications. The toolkit will provide
province-wide reach to all employers (especially
in rural areas) with web-based access to current
information and expertise, as well as local and
regional resources to assist employers with
finding, keeping and developing the workers they
need. |
Development
of a Workplace-based Assessment / Training Model
The Provincial Government will be working
with partners in business and labour to identify
and assess requirements for consistent,
comprehensive approaches to workplace-directed
skills assessment and training to help direct
future investments in this area. This work will
also include development of a web-based
workplace essential skills assessment tool that
can be utilized by training instructors,
employment delivery professionals and
educational institutions in the delivery of
labour market and training supports and
services. |
Priority Area:
Strengthening Human Resource Development and
Planning Capacity |
Community
Employment Partnerships
The Department of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment, will support community agencies in
implementing pilot initiatives and
community-based employment projects to support
unemployed, non-EI eligible workers --
particularly in regions experiencing effects of
the economic downturn. Types of initiatives
eligible for funding include: targeted
initiatives for older workers, business/labour
partnership projects, and community directed
projects targeting persons with barriers to
employment |
Transition
Supports and Services
The Department of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment will support departments and
partners, including business, labour and
communities, in implementing rapid and flexible
responses to downward industry adjustments, such
as those occurring in the forestry industry (for
example, labour facilitated peer support groups
for displaced employees and their families; and
community-based service advocates to help
impacted workers access available benefits).
|
2009 08 03
3:25 p.m. |