Ottawa, November 3, 2022 – Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is pleased to see investments in “an economy that works for everyone” in the fall economic update.
Among positive measures, CICan notes the government has earmarked $802.1 million over the next three years for a renewed “youth employment and skills strategy” to provide wrap around supports and job placements. Support for 70,000 job placements through the Canada Summer Jobs program will also help create valuable opportunities, as will support for work placements through the Income Assistance-First Nations Youth Employment Strategy Pilot.
Making all Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans permanently interest-free will help graduates launch their career in these uncertain times.
The commitment to launch a Sustainable Jobs Training Centre should leverage the nearly 700 college and institute locations all across Canada who are already leading the way in developing skills for a net-zero economy in exactly the ways described in the Fall Economic Statement.
As we all look forward to welcoming more newcomers in our communities, we are pleased to see the commitment to address immigration backlogs. Our members have a long history of supporting newcomers to integrate successfully in Canadian communities and stand ready to support further investments to support labour market integration.
“We are pleased to see that the government continues to support learners to promote skills development as a critical component of Canada’s economic recovery and transition to net-zero,” noted CICan president and CEO, Denise Amyot. “We look forward to working with the government to ensure the strengths of our members are fully leveraged to advance these commitments.”
Colleges and institutes are also ideally placed to support the new Canadian Innovation and Investment Agency and we look forward to the impending blueprint. CICan notes that the Fall economic statement includes no funding for innovation and applied research, which continues to be a priority for colleges and institutes across Canada. Leveraging these resources to boost Canadian innovation is especially important for SMEs, which have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic and will need to innovate to adapt to our new normal.
Though the association is pleased to see the government’s ongoing efforts to support infrastructure in select areas across the country, there remains an acute need for infrastructure funding to support post-secondary institutions and the communities they serve more broadly, including with unspent funds identified in the fall economic statement.
About Colleges and Institutes Canada:
CICan is the national and international voice of Canada’s largest post-secondary education network. It advocates, builds capacity, and drives knowledge to strengthen Canada’s publicly supported colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics. With more than 95% of Canadians living within 50 km of a member institution, and thanks to its extensive reach around the globe, CICan works to future-proof communities in Canada and abroad.
We respectfully acknowledge that CICan’s offices in Ottawa are located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation.
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For more information:
Leah Jurkovic
Director, Communications
Colleges and Institutes Canada
Email: ljurkovic@collegesinstitutes.ca
Twitter: @CollegeCan