March 9, 2022
NPower Canada and OTF Provide Economic Opportunities for GTA West Youth
Peel- In 2018, NPower Canada received a generous $300,000 Grow grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. This support, delivered over 3 years, allowed NPower Canada to provide in-demand tech training and employment support to barriered un- and underemployed youth residing in Peel Region. Thanks in part to the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s support, NPower Canada has been able to deliver on its mission and equip over 300 Peel-based youth with the digital and professional skills and certifications needed to secure meaningful tech careers.
“Peel Region is home to many talented youth,” said MPP Deepak Anand, Mississauga-Malton. “Grants and partnerships like this provide an opportunity to tap into unrealized potential and support youth in the IT industry. This grant will help produce and nurture leaders in the industry who will then be able to contribute to the economic growth of Ontario.”
NPower Canada is a charitable organization that launches underserved youth and adults into meaningful and sustainable careers in tech, through its free in-demand digital and professional skills training program. In 2018, NPower Canada set out to serve 60 youth per cohort at its Peel Region delivery site; however, given the severity of local youth unemployment in the region, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, NPower Canada scaled its impact to serve over 100 youth per cohort by 2021. Of its 2021 Peel-based enrollees, 83% have successfully graduated from NPower Canada’s training program, exceeding its 80% graduation target. More than 80% of these graduates have gone on to obtain successful tech careers among NPower Canada’s growing network of over 200 hiring partners.
“The Ontario Trillium Foundation has been a supportive partner of NPower Canada since 2017,” said Andrew Reddin, Chief Operating Officer of NPower Canada. “Their ongoing partnership and support has been invaluable, especially as we worked to adapt our programs in the midst of the pandemic to continue to launch youth across the GTA into sustainable digital careers.”
To date, more than 80% of NPower Canada’s alumni from Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia and British Columbia, have secured in-demand tech jobs such as Help Desk Analyst, QA Specialist and Information Security Analyst, with industry leaders like Accenture, CGI, CIBC, Cisco, Deloitte, IBM, RBC, Softchoice, TD and Telus.
NPower Canada encourages applicants from underserved groups, including women, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC), LGTBQ2S+Trans+ and gender diverse people, individuals with disabilities, and newcomers. To learn more, visit NPower Canada’s website: https://npowercanada.ca/.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non‐profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non‐profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID‐19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
Media Contact:
Carly Dwyer – Senior Manager, Communications & Partnerships
NPower Canada
email: [email protected]
