Agreements

Labour Market Development Agreement

2016-17 Canada-NWT Annual Plan: Labour Market Development Agreement | Job Fund Agreement | Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities

The Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA) is an agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories (signed February 27, 1998) that provides funding to deliver employment and training programs and services to individuals who are eligible for Employment Insurance.

Programs include:

  • Building Essential Skills
  • Self-Employment
  • Training-on-the-Job
  • Youth Employment
  • Employment Assistance Services
  • Local Labour Market Partnerships

For further information on these programs and services, please click here or contact your regional ECE Service Centre.

Although the current LMDA does not have an end date, Canada has deemed it appropriate to reopen this arrangement.  Renegotiations are underway with all jurisdictions in Canada with the objective of having a new agreement signed in time for implementation on April 1, 2015.

Workforce Development Agreement

The Workforce Development Agreement (WDA) is an agreement between the Government of Canada and the GNWT that provides employment and training supports to eligible residents, including persons with disabilities. The objective of this agreement is to improve residents’ ability to perform their current job, prepare for a new job, to enhance their labour market participation, and help them develop the skills needed to find and keep a job. The WDA helps improve labour market outcomes and contributes to workforce development.

Areas of focus under the agreement include:

  • Training: Improve levels of literacy, essential and work-related skills; and support upskilling for the precariously employed and underemployed;
  • Supports: Provide continuum of needs-based services to maximize potential impact of training; and continue to support persons with disabilities to enter and stay in the labour market;
  • Employment Partnerships: Work in partnership with employers and other stakeholders to promote awareness and expand the availability, accessibility and quality of employment opportunities; and
  • Building Knowledge: Inform priorities with labour market information to better meet skills needs and market demand; enhance the knowledge base to support continuous improvement of labour market policies and programs; and support new and innovative approaches to meet the diverse needs of clients, including underrepresented groups.

Contact your Regional ECE Service Centre for more information. 

Target Initiative for Older Workers

The Target Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) is an agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories (signed June 29, 2007) that provides funding to programs created to provide a range of employment activities for older workers who are unemployed.  These activities include skills upgrading and work experience in new jobs to help them re-enter or stay in the workforce.

The TIOW targets communities experiencing any of the following conditions:

  • ongoing high unemployment, and/or;
  • dependence on a single employer or industry that is affected by downsizing;
  • have employers that are unable to fulfill their demand for workers; and
  • have workers whose skills do match those required by the employer or industry.

The program applies to older workers aged 55 to 64.

The objectives of the TIOW are:

  • to invest in the human resources capacity of Northwest Territories communities;
  • to provide a valuable opportunities for older workers to improve their employability through activities such as skills assessment, counselling, skills upgrading, and work experience for new jobs;
  • to recognize that older workers have many contributions to make to society and that their knowledge needs to be retained by re-integration them back into the workforce; and
  • to contribute to a comprehensive system of labour market supports by the Government of the Northwest Territories that is intended to increase sustainable employment and address skilled labour shortages.

To find out more information on the TIOW please contact your regional ECE Service Centre.

To download a copy of any of these documents please visit our resources page.