North Bay, ON - Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario - FedNor
Anthony Rota, Member of Parliament for Nipissing-Timiskaming, today announced Government of Canada investments totaling $1,110,810 for two projects that will help businesses attract skilled workers and innovate and access new technologies to make them more productive and competitive. The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for FedNor.
As part of the announcement, FedNor funding of $1,034,050 will support the ongoing operations of Blue Sky Net (BSN) for a three-year period, enabling the organization to deliver a variety of information and communications technology (ICT) activities in the Nipissing-Timiskaming, Sudbury East, Manitoulin and Parry Sound East regions. As part of the initiative, BSN will work with local stakeholders to assess ICT trends and talent gaps, identify and implement solutions to increase skilled talent to support digital industries. They will also coordinate local and regional broadband deployment, and help increase digital technology adoption and awareness.
The remaining $76,760 is helping the City of North Bay develop and implement a workforce attraction and retention strategy designed to support North Bay employers. This two-year pilot project provides employers with access to human resources (HR) support and will focus on four key areas: identifying current resources; developing tools and training ; providing one-on-one HR support; and hosting virtual job fairs and recruitment events. This project is a collaboration among local workforce organizations including the Workforce Planning Board (Labour Market Group), Employment Service Agency (YES Employment), Social Services Administration Board, North Bay & District Chamber of Commerce and career centres within North Bay post-secondary institutions.
