Alberta is home to the youngest population in Canada and has the highest number of people moving to it from other provinces.
With Alberta’s fast growing entrepreneurial culture creating significant demand for skilled workers across various sectors of the economy, the Government of Canada is making investments to help meet the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses while supporting youth and underrepresented Canadians to take advantage of new career opportunities.
Today, PrairiesCan announced federal funding of more than $8.8 million for 11 organizations to deliver quality training that will better prepare youth and underrepresented groups in Alberta to tackle the challenges of tomorrow and innovate across a wide range of industries.
Training will focus on high-growth fields that continue to have current and future workforce demands, including Indigenous economic development, value-added agriculture, data science and digital technology, and technical sales and marketing.
Among the funding recipients is Calgary-based InceptionU. InceptionU received $1.2 million to support new streams of apprenticeship-style learning programs while also helping a select group of companies across Western Canada develop and curate teams that will accelerate their growth.
“Technology is evolving with increasing speed. We need to prepare our workforce to be future fit, to gain both the technical and essential or ‘soft’ skills we will continue to need in the face of increasing automation,” says InceptionU CEO Margo Purcell.
“We’re also thrilled that this grant allows us to work directly with industry to cultivate the tech talent they need to help their businesses thrive.”
Approximately 80% of Alberta employers expressed difficulty sourcing skilled digital talent, with approximately 30% of employers having hired mid and senior-level talent from other provinces or other countries, according to an ICTC Report.
“Our government is making investments to help enable small and medium-sized businesses across the Prairies to find and retain the skilled workers they need to grow and remain globally competitive,” says the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan.
“Our investment in InceptionU is providing more Alberta workers with opportunities to access vital skills training that leads to fulfilling, high-demand careers that will help meet the emerging talent needs of our technology sector.”
The initiative represents a strategic partnership among established organizations across the Prairies, dedicated to equipping our workforce for an evolving future. InceptionU, as the lead organization, has proficiency in nurturing essential skills crucial for fostering innovative and adaptive growth.
Delivery partners Braintoy, Enfocom, Tacit Edge, and 321 Growth Academy will provide comprehensive training in technical areas such as Cloud Computing, AI/ML, Cyber Security, Product Leadership, and Business Development.
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