Author: TechImpact, Press release
--TechImpact Will Manage Province-Wide, Multi-Stakeholder Effort to
Train, Attract and Retain IT Professionals in Collaboration with UNB’s McKenna Institute--
FREDERICTON—The Government of New Brunswick today announced it is providing $490,000 over two years to TechImpact to support the development of the province’s IT workforce. TechImpact, a private sector led IT industry organization, will manage province-wide efforts to train, attract and retain skilled IT professionals in partnership with the McKenna Institute at the University of New Brunswick as well as the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, post-secondary institutions, private sector employers and other stakeholders.
The need for this new training emerged starkly from the New Brunswick Information Technology Workforce Growth plan 2021-2026 produced by TechImpact and Jupia Consultants at the request of the Government of New Brunswick that found critical steps are needed to ensure New Brunswick has the skilled digital workforce our evolving economy needs to prosper. The summary plan includes the pillars of aligning stakeholders, addressing workforce supply and demand, accelerating talent development, expanding New Brunswick’s talent pipeline, and strategies for local, national and international recruitment. A summary of the report can be found at www.techimpact.it
“IT is big business in New Brunswick, representing 10,000 jobs with salaries of $700-million per year, and it’s getting bigger as digital transformation becomes a necessity for virtually every sector of our economy. The Workforce Growth Plan found that nearly 5900 IT jobs will need to be filled in the province in the coming five years – we need to take rapid steps to boost our talent pipeline to fill these jobs and continue New Brunswick’s successful economic transformation,” said Cathy Simpson, CEO of TechImpact. “We are grateful to the Government of New Brunswick for its leadership in ensuring our province is well positioned to succeed in the digital economy by addressing the pillars in the Workforce Growth Plan.”
TechImpact is hitting the ground running by offering the first in a series of “bootcamps” aimed at improving IT skills, offered in collaboration with the McKenna Institute and the University of New Brunswick. Registration for this bootcamp will be available in the coming weeks.
“More and more industries are turning to technology in support of their operations which is increasing the demand for IT related occupations,” said Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Trevor Holder. “Partnerships are key to addressing our workforce challenges and we’re pleased to support this latest initiative that will be critical to New Brunswick’s current and future growth. Our collaborative work with TechImpact and the McKenna Institute will not only help us introduce new workers into this sector but will ensure our current workforce has access to micro-credentialing, bootcamps and other training that will give them new skills to continue working in this ever-evolving industry.”
“Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour’s continued support of the development of IT talent in our province is to be commended and we are delighted that the support of TechImpact will enable the continued cooperation between industry, academia and government. Close collaboration and aligned investments are what will allow New Brunswick to compete globally in the digital economy,” said Hon. Frank McKenna, founder of the McKenna Institute.
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For information:
Cathy Simpson
CEO, TechImpact
Cathy.simpson@techimpact.it
506 650 2540
Paul Bradley
Communications, Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour
(506) 440-7416
Read the press release on TechImpact's website here