TMCnet News
Government of Canada Announces Major Investment in Palette Inc.New funding will upskill southern Ontario workers TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2019 /CNW/ - New technologies are changing Canada's labour market, resulting in the loss of some jobs and the creation of other, new kinds of work. As Canadian workers look to navigate these changes, upskilling and retraining programs remain a vital way to help workers transition to new industries to begin exciting, new careers. This morning, FedDev Ontario announced that it will provide up to $5 million to Palette Inc. to upskill mid-career workers affected by restructuring and downsizing in traditional industries in southern Ontario.
Palette addresses the gap between the aspirations of unemployed or underemployed mid-career workers and the talent needs of fast-growing firms in knowledge sectors such as information technology, advanced manufacturing, and digital media. The result is workers moving into stable careers with high potential in companies challenged to find the talent they need to grow. Palette's most recent upskilling program, SalesCamp, successfully secured job offers for over 80% of its participants within their target industry in less than 8 weeks of the program ending. "We're creating new pathways for mid-career workers to use their existing skills and talents to access new opportunities in the digital economy," said AJ Tibando, Executive Director of Palette. "Today's funding announcement will allow Palette to expand its impact by targeting and upskilling displaced or underemployed workers to meet the talent needs of fast-growing companies in southern Ontario." As a result of this funding, Palette will help to fill 220 jobs and support up to 100 companies in the Windsor-Essex and Durham regions over the next three years. Its programs will look to specifically address critical labour shortages in the advanced manufacturing and information & communications technology (ICT) sectors. "We are delighted that FedDev Ontario is investing to help some of our fastest growing companies find the talent they need through Palette's proven upskilling programs," noted Arvind Gupta, Chair of Palette's Board of Directors. "Palette is a world-leader in developing innovative strategies for transitioning mid-career workers threatened by automation into high-potential careers, and we look forward to bringing our model into Southern Ontario communities." Palette is currently preparing to launch the second cohort of its SalesCamp program this coming September, where mid-career workers in the GTA will upskill into sales roles at fast-growing local tech companies. To learn more about SalesCamp, check out: https://paletteskills.org/join-salescamp. Palette Inc. is a national non-profit funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Sectoral Initiatives Program, and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev). Our mission is to identify high demand jobs in the innovation economy and create rapid, intensive upskilling programs that help transition mid-career workers whose jobs are threatened by automation. Our vision is of an inclusive innovation economy where all workers can thrive by building on their skills and experience. To learn more about Palette, check out: https://paletteskills.org/ SOURCE Palette Inc. 
|
