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GO Talent Supports Immigration and Orientation of Skilled ICT Workers

by Jeff

According to the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC)’s recent publication, Labour Market Outlook, over 182,000 information and communications technology (ICT) positions will need to be filled across all Canadian industries by 2019. Filling these positions will enable Canadian businesses to become more competitive and secure the country’s digital advantage in an increasingly connected world.

Finding the talent to fill these positions can be extremely difficult for many small and mid-sized businesses in Canada though. Of the 865,000 ICT professionals within Canada, approximately 30-35% are economic immigrants. These Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) receive ICT training abroad and then relocate to Canada where these skills are in high demand because there is not enough internally-trained talent.

Related Blog: Federal Express Entry Program: Hire Foreign Skilled Workers – The shortage of skilled labour in Canada is experienced for a variety of skilled positions, not just the ICT field. Discover another federal program to help increase the rate at which economic immigrants can receive citizenship and the ability to work for your business.

GO Talent Program Supports ICT Employment Across Canada

In response to this shortage of ICT talent, the Information and Communications Technology Council has created a new program that will help connect IEPs to Canadian employers. The Global Onboarding of Talent to Canada Initiative (GO Talent) will provide immigrants with labour market orientation, support, and referrals to businesses who are seeking their skills. ICTC will even work with the IEP to have their education/credentials recognized by Canadian standards, making it easier for businesses to identify the value of incoming workers.

This program has received Canadian government funding through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. The program has two central missions:

  1. Increase the chance of economic immigrants finding employment prior to arriving in Canada; and
  2. Increase the talent pool of ICT professionals across Canada to enhance the competitiveness of businesses.

Apply for the Information and Communications Technology Council’s GO Talent Program

Canadian businesses interested in connecting with international ICT talent must contact ICTC prior to the program’s end date in March 2017.

 

To get started with ICTC’s Global Onboarding of Talent to Canada Initiative (GO Talent), businesses are advised to contact ICTC’s Director of Strategic Outreach, Stephanie Wilson.

Get Started

Find Small Business Grants to Hire and Train Your Workforce

Aside from finding internationally educated employees to fill these ICT positions, businesses also have several domestic hiring and training options. Proactive businesses can receive Canadian government grants and loans to hire youth graduates or train members of their existing workforce to build new skillsets. By accessing the Canadian Small Business Funding Guide, businesses can discover even more Canadian government funding possibilities.

Canadian Business Grants for Hiring and Training

ICT professionals will soon have access to a variety of sectorial hiring grants to hire a recent post-secondary graduate. Canadian businesses may receive up to 50% of a graduate’s wage to a maximum $20,000 for the first year of their employment.

Alternately, businesses can receive Canadian government funding to upgrade their workforce’s skills through third-party training. The Canada Job Grant, including its provincial variants such as the Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG), will provide up to 66% of eligible training expenses to a maximum $10,000 per trainee. These government grants for business support trainer or course fees, textbooks, and other common training costs. This is an extremely popular option among Canadian businesses investing in their current workforce’s skills.

Hiring and Training Resources for Canadian Businesses

Many Canadian businesses who are unfamiliar with the process of applying for Canadian government funding can educate themselves with a wide range of educational and planning resources. The Canadian Small Business Funding Guide will help businesses to prioritize strategic projects and find grants and loans to that extend cash flow and enable project completion.

Alternately, our informative slides, How to Find and Recruit Top Talent, provides a comparison of top job boards for Canadian businesses, in addition to resources that will help you find and hire youth graduates who’s wages can be subsidized through government grants.

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