June 8, 2020
Future Skills Centre making a $37 million investment into innovative and community-based programs to find solutions to Canada’s changing workforce
NPower Canada receives $1.8 million to scale up its workforce development program within Ontario and Alberta while expanding its model to two new provinces, British Columbia and Nova Scotia, in 2021.
With a strong focus on how we can provide meaningful action for our community’s disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, the Future Skills Centre is investing in 30 new projects to fill employers’ skills gaps and help workers gain in-demand skills in this post-pandemic period.
This $37-million investment into community-based programs focuses on the needs of diverse Canadian workers and employers by exploring innovative approaches to training and upskilling for emerging and in-demand skills.
These 30 projects span all regions of the country and are the result of consultations with stakeholders across Canada’s skills ecosystem. They were selected after an extensive review of hundreds of submissions to a call for proposals we established last year.
With a strong focus on how we can provide meaningful action for Canada’s disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, the projects cover four major themes.
They range from leveraging people and AI technology, to training, reskilling, and adapting within industries facing chronic skills shortages, to radical new approaches to training and learning in order to build capacity to creating an inclusive workforce for the future by not leaving anyone behind. By applying a rigorous evaluation strategy to all our projects, the Future Skills Centre is keen to work with these partners to help every Canadian succeed in a changing workplace.
Project: NPower Canada Upskilling Youth For In-Demand Tech Careers
Future Skills Canada is investing over $1.8 million allowing NPower Canada to scale up its workforce development program within Ontario and Alberta while rigorously testing its ability to replicate and expand its model to two new provinces, British Columbia and Nova Scotia, in 2021.
Over a 24-month period, this project will enrol at least 3,440 low-income, diverse young adults ages 18-29. A minimum of 80% will graduate and earn at least one industry credential, and at least 80%of graduates will secure meaningful employment and/or enrol in post-secondary education within twelve months of finishing the program.
NPower Canada has partnered with and consulted more than 200 employers to understand their IT hiring needs and designs its programs to equip low-income young adults with these in-demand skills. This deep engagement of employers throughout the program, from curriculum design and training delivery to hiring and alumni supports, has proven vital to NPower Canada’s success in helping youth facing barriers to secure and retain employment.
Another unique aspect of the NPower Canada program is its five-year commitment to its graduates, extending beyond initial job placement to support participants with long-term job retention and career advancement.
Evaluation
This project will be evaluated using tools and approaches aligned with its goals, context, and stage of development. The evaluation will focus on generating the right evidence at the right moment to move the intervention forward. Read more about our evaluation strategy.
