NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Provincial Government Invests $634,000 for Skills Programming to Help Meet Tech Labour Demand

The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, and the Honourable Siobhan Coady, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, announced an investment of $634,000 to the Centre for Research and Innovation for skills development in the tech sector.

The three-year investment will support the development and implementation of micro-credential and certified programming to help meet shortages in the province's tech workforce by upskilling participants in a timely manner. In total, eight micro-credentials and four certificates will be developed in the first year, and then implemented in the second and third years.

Funding is provided through the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Market Development Agreement.

The Centre for Research and Innovation is a partnership between Grenfell Campus, Memorial University; College of the North Atlantic; and Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. The Centre supports applied research and teaching with a focus on bio, green, circular economies and entrepreneurship across all sectors of the western regional economy.

Quotes

"This investment puts innovations into action. With the fast pace of change and our evolving demand for skilled labour, targeted and responsive skills recognition is playing an increasingly important role. When implemented, this new accredited and certified programming will enhance the skillset of current and future technology workers and widen the range of professional work available in the province."

Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills

"The technology sector in Newfoundland and Labrador has emerged as a significant economic driver for our province and we expect that growth to expand. The Provincial Government continues to collaborate with sector partners with the collective goal of growing the industry and stimulating new private sector investment and employment in the province."

Honourable Siobhan Coady
Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance

"Grenfell Campus prides itself on being an integral part of the regional economy. Through the Centre for Research and Innovation, we advance this part of our mandate, providing a unique technology and innovation hub.  We're delighted to bring together the expertise of our researchers and CRI resources and partners to advance initiatives that support sustainable growth. With this financial support, new programs will be developed that prepare our population to meet the vast potential of our tech economy."

Dr. Ian Sutherland
Vice-President, Grenfell Campus

"When we announced this centre four years ago we saw it as an opportunity to ensure our future workforce would be ready to meet industry demands and that it would be a hub of learning, skills development and retraining. Today's funding announcement, and the micro-credentialing and certificate training that will result, reinforces that original vision and adds a new, critical dimension that will help our Centre for Research and Innovation achieve its mandate. We applaud the province for its foresight in this area."

Elizabeth Kidd
President and CEO, College of the North Atlantic