OTEC TO SUPPORT THE TRAINING OF NEWCOMERS FOR THE HOTEL SECTOR
Part of a new, innovative pilot project, OTEC is proud to be leading an initiative in Ontario to provide career opportunities for new Canadians and support the hiring needs of hospitality employers. Destination Employment is a joint partnership project of Tourism HR Canada and the Hotel Association of Canada, funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The three year Destination Employment pilot project aims to employ at least 1,300 underemployed or unemployed newcomers in sustainable, well-paid, long-term hotel jobs and will be looked to as a network for best practices, training and support. In the province of Ontario, it will be managed through the Tourism SkillsNet Ontario network.
In 2016, Canada had 1,212,075 new immigrants who had permanently settled in Canada from 2011 to 2016. These recent immigrants represented 3.5% of Canada’s total population in 2016.
- Contribute to the increase of good-paying, stable jobs for new Canadians
- Test a sustainable, systemic and scalable model
- Improve human capital practices
- Strengthen partnerships and build capacity
Canada’s small and mid-sized companies represent about 50% of the Canadian economy. They play a significant role in smaller communities. While OTEC will be delivering the project in Ontario, activities will also be taking place in four other provinces and territories including Nova Scotia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Yukon.
Destination Employment will be integrated into OTEC’s Tourism SkillsNet Ontario partnership network to further support newcomers and to ensure skilled labour for businesses who are having a difficult time filling job vacancies with the on-going labour shortages. More importantly, these individuals will be provided with the opportunity to obtain their first Canadian workplace.