TIMMINS, ON: Northern College is pleased to announce that it has received almost 500,000 dollars in Provincial funding for specialized training opportunities.

487,000 dollars in funding was awarded to Northern College to assist in the training of 75 public administration employees in northern municipalities around Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. This funding comes as part of a 1.9-million-dollar investment to help more than 2,000 students, underemployed adults, Indigenous community members and other Northern Ontario workers to learn the skills required to find new, better jobs.

“This funding will benefit Northern people from all walks of life, and help them find the kind of job they need to support themselves, their families and their communities,” said Labour Minister Monte McNaughton in a press release issued Friday. “Soft skills like financial literacy, digital skills and coding, and the skilled trades are all pathways to new, exciting opportunities, new careers, and a bright future for residents of Northern Ontario.”

The announcement is part of a $37 million investment by the Ontario government to help 15,000 people upgrade their skills and train for new jobs.

“Employers are looking for job-ready people to help fill vacancies across Ontario, and our government is committed to providing everyone with the opportunity and the skills to fill those positions,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities in the release. “With this funding, we’re not only building skills and capacity, we are investing in the people and the potential of Northern Ontario.”

This investment is drawn from the Province’s Skills Catalyst Fund, which is designed to support innovative projects that test emerging ideas on how to tackle labour market challenges.

“We are very grateful for this opportunity and vote of confidence from the Provincial Government,” stated Dr. Audrey J. Penner, Northern College President & CEO. “This is an affirmation of all of the hard work and expertise that we’ve developed throughout our history in training professionals for job-ready skills, not to mention getting into the innovative approaches surrounding micro credentialing, which is how we will validate these skills. We are tackling a skills area in municipal governance which is not typically afforded to the skills development category; in so doing we are filling a gap clearly identified by this sector. Talent will continue to be in need, and we are only too pleased to help deliver the skills needed for a new future.”

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