MORE TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE THROUGH JOBSTART/FUTURE SKILLS

Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training Minister Maynard Sonntag

today announced that 6,300 Saskatchewan people will benefit from

training and employment opportunities through JobStart/Future Skills

this year, 1,600 more than last year.



"JobStart/Future Skills has been a very successful provincial training

program," Sonntag said. "We are pleased to be able to build on that

success and provide even more training and employment opportunities

for Saskatchewan people."



To help meet emerging labour market needs, JobStart/Future Skills will

receive $19 million this year, an increase of almost $6 million over

1998-99. The additional funding is a combination of incremental

provincial funding plus funding transferred to the province under the

Canada-Saskatchewan Labour Market Development Agreement.



The Minister added, "Since JobStart/Future Skills began in 1995, more

than 13,700 Saskatchewan residents have received employment-related

skills training through the program. For example, JobStart/Future

Skills helped Commutron Industries with the skills training needed to

establish a new business in rural Saskatchewan. Since the printed

circuit board business began in Elbow in 1997, 15 new employees have

been trained and continue to work for Commutron."



The program provides workbased training and employment

opportunities in growing and expanding sectors, including:

agricultural implement manufacturing; agriculture and agrivalue;

tourism and hospitality; film and cultural sector; information

technology and transportation. The program also supports

industry-driven sector partnerships to develop human resource

plans that address the employment and training needs of their

sector. There are 14 sector partnerships so far.



In addition, the program provides retraining, designed in

consultation with business, to help people upgrade their skills

as the business world changes and new technologies are

introduced. More than 2,000 people updated their skills through

JobStart/Future Skills in 1998/99, benefiting both employees and

employers.



Training for the unemployed continues to be a fundamental part of

the program. Since 1995, 3,850 unemployed people have been

trained. JobStart/Future Skills also provides training and

employment opportunities for designated groups. In 1998/99 the

proportion of trainees by group was 30-40 per cent youth, 20-25

per cent Aboriginal and 25 per cent social assistance recipients.



"JobStart/Future Skills is a key element in achieving the

Saskatchewan Training Strategy's objective to develop a skilled

workforce relevant to Saskatchewan's labour market," Sonntag

said. "We are linking training to employment for both employed

and unemployed people through partnerships with business,

training institutions, communities and government. Together, we

are all investing in Saskatchewan people."



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For more information contact:



Rick Pawliw/Ernie Lipinski

Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Education

Regina

Phone: (306) 787-5984/787-8131