Minister Tyler Shandro. (Government of Alberta)

By Justin Goulet/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Province announces funding for Workforce Partnerships program

Feb 7, 2022 | 12:09 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The provincial government has announced a string of new partnerships to boost Alberta’s workforce and help residents find good jobs.

A $1.53 million investment under the Workforce Partnerships program will support 16 different projects. The projects will give Albertans a range of job opportunities in several different sectors, including biotechnology, commercial trucking, energy, aviation, forestry and retail.

Minister of labour and immigration Tyler Shandro said, “Workforce Partnerships allows Alberta’s government to work with industry, employers and communities to prepare Albertans for in-demand jobs.”

“As we move forward on our economic recovery, we will continue to invest in Albertans so those who are able to work can find a good job.”

The province notes Albertans of all walks of life are encouraged to develop new skills, as projects will focus on hiring more women, newcomers, Indigenous peoples, mature workers, youth and people living with a disability.

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Murray Elliott, president and CEO of Energy Safety Canada said, “the energy industry is integral to economic recovery and in need of the best to meet growing demand.”

“A more diverse workforce will contribute new ideas, different skills and experience, strengthening our industry’s position to continue to deliver safely and reliably.”

Projects will begin no later than March 31, with work terms ranging from one year to a maximum of two years. Alberta is working with the federal government to provide this funding and deliver employment support programs and services across the province.

Below is a breakdown of the supported projects.

• Labour Market Intelligence Study (Alberta Biotechnology Association, or Bio Alberta)
  • A first-time labour market intelligence study focused specifically on Alberta’s pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.
  • Grant amount: $100,000
• Beyond Licensing: Pathways to Commercial Truck Driving for Inexperienced Drivers (Alberta Motor Transport Association)
  • Raise awareness about employment opportunities in trucking and provide employers with tools to hire newly licensed, inexperienced drivers.
  • Grant amount: $92,000
• Return on Training Investment for Alberta Employers (Canadian Apprenticeship Forum)
  • Calculate the return on training investment for Alberta employers who invest in apprenticeship for three in-demand trades. This includes assessing actual costs and quantifying the associated benefits and impacts from an employer perspective.
  • Grant amount: $100,000
• Seismic Sector Labour Market Research (Canadian Association of Geophysical Contractors)
  • Identify the seismic sector’s critical human resource issues, provide a complete understanding of recruitment and retention issues, assess effective strategies to address recruitment and retention, and examine workforce demand as well as training and retraining issues.
  • Grant amount: $100,000
• Development of Resources for Environmental Inspection (Canadian Energy Pipeline Association Foundation)
  • Develop an occupation profile and a career roadmap for environmental construction inspection.
  • Grant amount: $100,000
• Pilot Pipeline Project (Edmonton Flying Club)
  • Aims to create a pipeline of career-ready pilots to meet the hiring needs of partners.
  • Grant amount: $100,000
• Hydrogen Labour Market Research Project (Edmonton Global)
  • Map the current capacity and capability of the potential hydrogen labour market in Alberta and determine the knowledge, skills and abilities required for workers and organizations to address gaps, leverage opportunities and effectively transition into the new hydrogen economy.
  • Grant amount: $75,000
• Peer Learning Hub (Electricity Human Resources Canada)
  • Develop an online learning hub that brings together human resource practitioners in the electricity industry to increase and enhance workforce participation of newcomers, youth, Indigenous peoples, women, mature workers and people living with a disability.
  • Grant amount: $98,800
• Virtual Reality Career Insight Project (Elevate Aviation Ltd.)
  • Takes commonly recognized careers and demonstrates how they can be reimagined as careers inside the aviation industry.
  • Grant amount: $100,000
• Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Alberta’s Growing Environmental Workforce (Environmental Careers Organization of Canada)
  • Help diversify Alberta’s environmental workforce by producing, distributing and encouraging the use of demographic data, and developing resources for underrepresented groups and the organizations that support them.
  • Grant amount: $96,950
• Driving Innovation and Growth in Rural Alberta (Information and Communications Technology Council)
  • A study to understand emerging labour market and skill needs in rural Alberta that is driven by increasing digitization across industries.
  • Grant amount: $96,982
• Diversity and Inclusion in the Energy Workforce (PetroLMI – A Division of Energy Safety Canada)
  • Support employer efforts to expand the composition and numbers of their workforce through attraction and retention initiatives with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
  • Grant amount: $98,800
• Retail Labour Market Study (Retail Council of Canada)
  • A study addressing labour market supply and demand, labour and skills gaps, successful worker attraction and retention approaches and workforce planning to help ensure the retail industry has the workers it needs.
  • Grant amount: $100,000
• Supply Chain Trends: Adopting Digitization and its Impact on Skills (Supply Chain Management Association, or Supply Chain Canada)
  • Promote and heighten awareness of current labour market needs with a study of labour market trends within the Alberta supply chain sector and its value chains as they relate to three key economic sectors: energy and cleantech, aviation and logistics, and agriculture.
  • Grant amount: $98,490
• Workforce Study (Western Retail Lumber Association)
  • Support small communities across Alberta with a labour market intelligence study that will identify skills gaps to attract diverse workers into Alberta’s retail forest products/building construction/supply subsector.
  • Grant amount: $100,000
• Wood Industry Career Awareness Campaign for Newcomers/Equity Groups (Wood Manufacturing Council)
  • Address the critical need for workers in wood manufacturing, including skilled and semi-skilled workers, using a career awareness campaign to attract newcomers, Indigenous peoples, youth, women and mature workers.
  • Grant amount: $73,250

More details on the Workforce Partnerships Program are available here. Monday morning’s press conference can be seen below.