April 23, 2014 – Winnipeg, Manitoba – Employment and Social Development Canada

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

 src:news.gc.ca