GOVERNMENTS OF CANADA AND SASKATCHEWAN SIGN A NEW AGREEMENT ON TRAINING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL HELP PREPARE THE PEOPLE OF SASKATCHEWAN FOR JOBS OF THE FUTURE

Parliamentary Secretary Lynne Yelich, on behalf of Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and Saskatchewan Advanced Education, Employment and Labour Minister Rob Norris today signed a new agreement to help Saskatchewan workers improve their skills prepare them for the jobs of the future.

Today's announcement represents a significant Government of Canada investment in the Saskatchewan labour market while addressing employers' needs for skilled workers. Under the new agreement, the Government of Canada will invest over $90 million in Saskatchewan's labour market over the next six years.

Through this agreement, over 1000 people yearly from Saskatchewan who are not eligible for training under the Employment Insurance (EI) program will have more of a chance to improve their skills. For example, healthcare workers that want to upgrade their certifications or high school graduates working in construction who want to be certified in a trade. The funding will also help individuals too often excluded from the labour force, including Aboriginal people, immigrants and persons with disabilities, as well as workers who lack literacy and essential skills, get the training they need to obtain meaningful and sustainable employment.

"This agreement will help more people in Saskatchewan to gain access to employment and skills development programs and ensure that employers' needs for skilled workers are met, said Yelich. "The federal government is committed to people who work hard, pay their taxes, and play by the rules. With this agreement, our economic plan will continue to pay dividends for families in Saskatchewan."

"The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to sustaining our province's economic momentum and to ensuring all of our people benefit from this growth," Norris said. "This agreement is critical to achieving both ends, because it will help more people to pursue their skills development goals and take advantage of Saskatchewan's remarkable job growth."

The new Canada-Saskatchewan labour market agreement comes into effect on April 1, 2008, and complements the Labour Market Development Agreement signed between the Government of Canada and Saskatchewan in 1998, under which the Province assumed responsibility for designing and delivering employment programs and services for unemployed people eligible under the EI program.

Today's agreement helps fulfil the commitment made in the Government of Canada's economic plan, Advantage Canada, and the 2007 federal budget to create the best-educated, most-skilled, and most flexible work force in the world. Similar agreements were signed with British Columbia and Ontario this week, and other agreements are being negotiated with other provinces and territories and will be signed in the coming weeks and months.

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For more information, contact:

Pema Lhalungpa
Office of Monte Solberg
Ottawa
Phone: 819-994-2482

Chris Jones-Bonk
Advanced Education, Employment and Labour
Regina
Phone: 306-798-3106

Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Social Development Canada
Ottawa
Phone: 819-994-5559