The COVID-19 pandemic has presented Ontario’s workforce and economy with unprecedented challenges. More Ontarians now than ever will require employment and training services because of the pandemic’s disruption of the labour market.
The North Shore Mining Training Strategy (NSMTS) — funded by the federal and provincial government — is a collaborative effort led by the North Algoma Employment Help Centre, Confederation College and major Mining Sector Employers along the North Shore of Lake Superior.
The NSMTS supports economic recovery and aims to relieve pandemic-induced labour and financial impacts on businesses and priority sectors, support the quickest path to employment opportunities, support efforts to create innovative training ideas and solutions, and improve the capacity of communities to respond to local and regional labour market shocks.
The main objectives of the NSMTS is to:
- Ensure a resilient workforce by supporting universal access into the labour market and/or retention and capacity-building for employers. This includes attracting investment and job creation through the development and maintenance of a stable labour force, particularly one that keeps pace with changes in technology and the way that work is done. Solutions can also reduce the administrative burden of human resourcing and worker retention for employers.
- Empower workers and job seekers who face higher barriers of entry, and enhance pathways into meaningful and gainful employment, including youth (high school and early post-secondary graduates), women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities or mental health challenges, visible minorities, and members of at-risk communities. Tailored supports, workplace accommodations, or specialized training are fundamental components of protecting all workers’ social and physical wellbeing. This includes specialized training for people with learning disabilities, mental health challenges and other disorders.
- Encourage partnerships across the economy to support new, innovative training solutions and improve the capacity of communities to respond to shocks to labour market conditions in in-demand, emerging and essential sectors. Partnerships help quicken market-led recovery, growth, and prosperity to enhance the talent development pipeline.
To that end, the NSMTS allows individuals to access the skills and abilities employers want and need now. The current roster of FREE Training includes:
PART 1:
- Mining Readiness -MANDATORY for All Participants (6 weeks)
PART 2:
- Surface or Underground Diamond Drilling (5 and 4 weeks, respectively)
- Millwright (Level 1) (12 weeks)
- Pre-Trades Electrical (12 weeks)
- Pre-Trades Welder (12 weeks)
- Pre-Trades Heavy Duty Technician (12 weeks)
- Construction Craft Worker (8 weeks)
Financial support may be available to those who require assistance.
Mining Readiness will have up to 12 cohorts that will be delivered from August 28 to November 18, 2022, with locations to be determined based on participant composition.
- The Surface and Underground Diamond Driller Programs will be held near Marathon, ON, starting October 2, 2022 through December 2, 2022.
- The Pre-Trades Programs will be delivered in Thunder Bay, ON, starting November 21, 2022, through to February 28, 2023.
- The Craft Construction Worker program will be delivered in Thunder Bay, ON, starting January 4, 2023, to February 28, 2023.
To apply, contact the Wawa Regional Employment Help Centre via email with your resume at resumes@wawarehc.com.
For additional information, please contact:
Christine Lewis christine.lewis@wawarehc.com 1-705-852-0487
Jason Bilcowski jason.bilcowski@wawarehc.com 1-705-852-1445
Kendra Perry kendra.perry@wawarehc.com 1-807-252-9432
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