Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) has launched Future Ready, a $19 million program funded in part by Employment and Social Development Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program to support companies in onboarding new and diverse workers to Canadian manufacturing.
According to an NGen press statement, the initiative will also aid Canadian manufacturers in identifying their critical skills gaps to support the future profitability and growth of their organization through NGen’s Transformation Leadership Program. Through these approaches, the program aims to provide demand-driven solutions for the manufacturing sector, a sector that is key to the recovery of the Canadian economy.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this program is in helping companies identify the specific critical skills gaps within their current workforce. We are excited to support their strategic objectives and to assist them in addressing many of these gaps through training plans and upskilling grants,” says Stewart Cramer, chief manufacturing officer at NGen.
Through Future Ready, NGen will deliver against three priority objectives to support the Canadian manufacturing sector:
- Develop and validate approaches to onboarding new workers to manufacturing, particularly representatives of equity-deserving communities, including newcomers to Canada;
- Validate methodologies by which companies can identify the critical skills gaps within their workforce which must be closed to maintain competitiveness and provide opportunities to close those gaps; and
- Assess competencies of manufacturing employees across sectors concerning new and emerging technologies and identify where critical competencies currently reside within Canadian manufacturing.
Companies participating in Future Ready will be able to gain access to assessments, customized business transformation plans and upskilling opportunities for current employees. Grants will be made available on a first-come first-served basis for 300 manufacturers and 1,000 existing employees.
Reposted by https://www.automationmag.com/ngen-launches-19m-future-ready-workforce-transformation-program-with-esdc-support/
