Strategic Workforce Initiative
Overview
This program supports organizations with labour market activities that promote labour force development, workforce adjustments, and human resources planning.
Activities must address a community labour market need and may include identifying economic trends, creating strategies, and initiating projects to develop a responsive local labour force.
Funding may be available for:
- Wages for supervisors
- Project overhead costs
- Supplies
- Equipment rentals
- License fees
- Administrative costs
- Tuition or course costs
These costs must be included in the proposal submitted to the Regional Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) Service Centre.
Available Funding
There is no maximum allowable funding, it is dependent on regional budgets, available funding and regional approvals.
Deadline
There is no deadline to apply. Applications can be submitted at any time.
Eligibility
The types of projects that can be funded include:
- Research: Research projects that gather unemployment data, analyze potential training and employment opportunities, and/or track and assess the community labour market.
- Development of strategic plans: Prepare a strategic plan to address community economic and employment issues.
- Promotion: Projects that market new programs and services, or promote employment supports to employers and unemployed individuals.
- Communications: Projects that share best practices, or are intended to initiate discussion regarding community challenges and opportunities.
- Coordination: Projects that facilitate community problem-solving related to labour market/employment challenges; and/or projects that aid in the development of local planning groups.
- Coordination of workforce adjustment: Projects that help businesses set up support mechanisms to assist employees who are at risk of losing their jobs, including human resource planning and coordination, skills training inventory or needs assessment and related development activities, and occupational standards.
Project proposal must have:
- A minimum of two (2) community partners; and
- Each partner must represent a different community component (such as Municipality, Indigenous Government, Employer, etc.).
How to apply
All proposals or applications are to be submitted to the Regional ECE Service Centre. Approval of proposal/applications is the Regional ECE Service Centre’s responsibility.