Key agreements signed for skills training and employment programs

WINNIPEG, April 23, 2014 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development, and the Honourable

Theresa Oswald, Manitoba Minister of Jobs and the Economy, signed three agreements today to help connect Manitobans with available jobs.

The Canada Job Grant is an innovative, employer-driven approach to help Canadians gain the skills and training they need to fill available jobs. It is designed to be flexible enough to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, in all industries and regions. By requiring employers to put more skin in the game, the Canada Job Grant will result in training that leads to guaranteed jobs. The Canada Job Grant will be delivered though the new Canada-Manitoba Job Fund (formerly known as a labour market agreement).

Also signed today was the new Canada-Manitoba Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPD). With increased employer involvement and improved reporting of outcomes, the new agreement will better connect Canadians with disabilities with available jobs. The LMAPDs are the single largest federal government investment in helping Canadians with disabilities get jobs. Under this agreement, the Government of Canada will provide close to $9 million per year to Manitoba, a contribution that will be matched by the province.

Additionally, Canada and Manitoba renewed the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, a federal-provincial/territorial cost-shared initiative that provides unemployed older workers in eligible communities with training to re-enter the workforce. This represents a three-year federal investment of over $1.5 million in Manitoba.

Quick Facts

• The Conference Board of Canada projects that Manitoba's $5.5 billion infrastructure plan will create 58,900 person-years of employment over the next five years.
• The Construction Sector Council projects that Manitoba's construction industry will need to recruit 16,000 workers over the next decade to meet industry demand.
• The Canada Job Grant will provide employers with up to $10,000 for training costs for an individual worker, including tuition and training materials.
• Approximately 800,000 working-age Canadians with disabilities who are able to work are not currently doing so. Almost half of these individuals have some post-secondary education.
• Since its launch in 2009, the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers has helped over 740 unemployed older workers in Manitoba.
  
  
  

Quotes

"Our government's top priorities are creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity. The Canada Job Grant is part of our commitment to address the paradox of too many Canadians without jobs in an economy of too many jobs without Canadians. With employers' skin in the game, the Canada Job Grant will lead to a guaranteed job. Helping employers train Canadians for jobs that need to be filled will help their businesses grow and succeed, and that is good news for the Manitoba economy."
- The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development

"By working with business to provide skills training opportunities, we are helping young Manitobans find good jobs right here at home. Together, the new Canada-Manitoba Job Fund and our five-year, $5.5 billion infrastructure plan will grow our economy, create jobs, and put Manitoba on a stronger, more competitive footing for the future."
- The Honourable Theresa Oswald, Manitoba Minister of Jobs and the Economy

Related Product

Backgrounder

Associated Links

Canada Job Grant
Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities
Targeted Initiative for Older Workers

Backgrounder

Canada-Manitoba Job Fund

The current labour market agreements, created in 2007, are being transformed into the new Canada Job Fund to ensure greater employer involvement in training. Nationally, the Government of Canada will continue to provide $500 million annually to the provinces and territories for investments in skills training through the Canada Job Fund. Manitoba will continue to receive approximately $18 million—its per capita share of the $500 million.

Nationally, the Canada Job Fund will include $200 million of employer-driven training, which may include funding for the Canada Job Grant or other existing employer-driven training programs.

Canada Job Grant

The Canada Job Grant will help Canadians get the training they need for available jobs and put skills training decisions in the hands of employers. It will provide up to $15,000 per person for training costs, such as tuition and training materials, which includes up to $10,000 in federal contributions. Employers will be required to contribute on average one-third of the total costs of training. Manitoba will be developing the Canada Job Grant over the coming months.

The provinces and territories will have full flexibility on the source of funds for the Canada Job Grant. They may be sourced from provincial/territorial allocations under the Canada Job Fund, the Labour Market Development Agreements or provincial/territorial sources.

The Canada Job Grant will be for short-duration training provided by an eligible third-party trainer, such as community colleges, career colleges, trade union centres and private trainers. Training can be provided in a classroom, on site at a workplace or online.

All private and not-for-profit businesses with a plan to train Canadians for a new or better job will be eligible to apply for a Canada Job Grant, once implemented.

The Canada Job Grant will be flexible enough to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, in all industries and regions. Small businesses will benefit from flexible arrangements, such as the potential to count wages as part of the employer contribution. This will help ensure that all businesses, regardless of size, can fully participate in the Canada Job Grant.

The Canada Job Grant will ensure that employers participate meaningfully as partners in the skills training system, sharing in the associated costs. This will ensure that training is better aligned with job opportunities, particularly in sectors facing skills mismatches and labour shortages.

The Canada Job Grant is strongly supported by employers and other stakeholders including:

• The Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO;
• National Association of Career Colleges;
• Canadian Federation of Independent Business;
• Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters;
• Canadian Construction Association;
• Information Technology Association of Canada;
• Canadian Welding Bureau;
• Engineers Canada;
• Progressive Contractors Association;
• Christian Labour Association of Canada;
• Canadian Home Builders' Association;
• Canadian Shipowners Association;
• Canadian Electricity Association;
• Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating;
• Merit Canada;
• Polytechnics Canada;
• Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada;
• Chemistry Industry Association of Canada; and
• Aerospace Industry Association of Canada.
  
  

Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities

As announced in the Economic Action Plan, this new generation of Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPDs) represents an investment of $222 million per year by the Government of Canada, matched by the provinces and territories. This will allow provinces and territories flexibility to determine how to best address the needs of Canadians with disabilities, while helping Canadian businesses benefit from their skills and talent.

Targeted Initiative for Older Workers

The Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) is a federal-provincial/territorial cost-shared initiative that provides unemployed older workers (normally between the ages of 55 and 64) with employment assistance services, skills upgrading and work experience. The TIOW assists unemployed older workers in small communities of 250,000 or less that are experiencing high unemployment and/or significant downsizing or closures to re-integrate into the workforce. As announced in Economic Action Plan 2014, the TIOW is being renewed for a three-year period, representing a federal investment of $75 million. The TIOW is also being expanded to include communities experiencing unfulfilled employer demand and/or skills mismatches so that communities with tighter labour markets can participate in the initiative, particularly if they have vacant jobs that could be filled by unemployed older workers.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada