The federal government is investing more than $8 million to train nearly 1,850 mid-career workers and new workers, including Indigenous people in remote communities across the Northwest Territories, preparing them for jobs in the growing  low-carbon economy.

The funding comes through the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund to support the Sustainable North: Our Workforce project, led by the Mine Training Society. This project will bring together an advisory committee of employers, industry stakeholders and community service agencies to make sure training programs are tailored to industry needs and that participants earn job-ready skills.

The initiative is one of eight that received funding through the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund, which will support more than 10,000 Canadian workers.

“In supporting this project, our government is helping make sure that workers across the North – including Indigenous workers – have access to the kind of hands-on training they need for good jobs in the low-carbon economy,” said Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. “This investment not only supports careers, but it will also help transform Canada’s economy and ensure that major projects are built with strong Indigenous partnerships.”

About 1.3 million workers across all sectors are expected to retire over the next three years. The Royal Bank of Canada estimates that as many as 400,000 new jobs would be added in fields that will demand enhanced skills due to the net-zero transition between 2021-2030.