March 23, 2020 – Today, TD Bank Group announced a donation of $325,000 to help scale NPower Canada’s ReNEW Tech Reskilling program, focused on supporting lower-income adults ages 31+ gain the digital skills necessary to launch their careers in Canada’s booming tech industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for a diverse and digitally skilled workforce, increasing demand for upskilling and reskilling support from individuals of all ages eager to launch their careers in tech. NPower Canada, a leader in workforce development since 2014, provides digital and professional skills training and industry certifications to prepare adult learners for IT roles Canadian employers urgently need to fill.
Since 2020, NPower Canada’s ReNEW Tech Reskilling program has trained unemployed and underemployed adults looking to pivot their career. To date, 86% of program graduates are employed in meaningful tech roles. Thanks to generous support from funders like TD, this program will be expanded across Canada beginning in May 2022. The funds from TD enables a diverse array of adult job seekers in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia to access sustainable tech and digitally-enabled jobs among NPower Canada’s growing network of over 200 hiring partners.
“Support from TD Bank Group has been an integral part of NPower Canada’s success since our inception in 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that there are Canadian job seekers of all ages who need to upskill and reskill to enter a sustainable field” said Julia Blackburn, CEO, NPower Canada. “This ongoing relationship and funding through the TD Ready Commitment allows us to serve a new sector of the Canadian economy to launch successful careers.”
“We are proud to support NPower Canada and the ReNEW Tech Reskilling program, which can help participants build the foundation towards new careers in tech,” says Amy Hanen, Associate Vice President, Social Impact (Canada), TD Bank Group. “Through the TD Ready Commitment, we aspire to help create the conditions for Canadians to succeed in a changing world. We believe education is the gateway to prepare people for the jobs of tomorrow and the catalyst for up-skilling and re-skilling individuals in an ever-changing workforce.”
NPower Canada will continue to prioritize individuals from underserved groups, including Indigenous, Black, people of colour (IBPoC), LGBTQ2S+, immigrants, and people with disabilities, and encourages adult job seekers from these groups to apply for their May 2022 cohort and future cohorts.
About NPower Canada
NPower Canada is a charitable organization that launches underserved youth and adults, including people with disabilities, BIPOC, and LGBTQ2S+ people, into meaningful & sustainable careers in technology. Through its free in-demand digital and professional skills training programs, NPower Canada connects Canadian job seekers to employers who are looking for junior IT/tech talent. NPower Canada has grown from enrolling 87 learners in 2015 to 1,700 in 2021, scaling within the GTA and expanding nationally to Calgary in 2019 and Halifax and Vancouver in 2021.
To date, more than 80% of NPower Canada’s 3400 alumni have secured in-demand tech jobs such as Help Desk Analyst, QA Specialist and Information Security Analyst with industry leaders such as Accenture, CGI, CIBC, Cisco, Deloitte, IBM, RBC, Softchoice, TD, and TELUS.
