Our Wave Hub to provide digital skills training for 1500 youth in Ontario who have or are at risk of job displacement.
TORONTO, Oct. 20, 2021 /CNW/ – The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented uncertainty in the provincial labour market, as well as job displacement at scale. Ontario experienced more than 153,000 jobs lost in January 2021 alone. According to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, a large majority of these jobs have been identified as part-time jobs within the retail and hospitality sector that have historically employed young adults.
To help overcome this challenge, Our Wave Hub has partnered with the Government of Ontario to provide an up-skilling pathway for 1500 youth in Ontario ages 18-29. The six-week live-virtual course, No-Code & Marketing Fundamentals, will provide participants with training in design thinking, no-code tools and digital marketing strategy. The intersectional training will also encompass an emphasis on soft skills, and leadership development to equip participants with the core competencies to navigate the uncertainty of the current economic climate.
“The post-pandemic recovery will require new ways of training people and organizations to build back a more resilient and equitable economy,” says Prieeyya Kaur Kesh, CEO & Founder of Our Wave Hub. “We believe that there is immense opportunity to be innovative, collaborative and agile in the development of talent for the future of work. We are excited to work to help bridge the gap between industry and academia and develop innovative training that enables youth employment success in this new age of work.”
In addition to the impact of COVID-19, tech adoption at scale has caused a double disruption in the labour market, disrupting jobs and entire industries. A recent RBC report has projected that more than a quarter of Canadian jobs will be heavily disrupted by technology in the coming decade. While this shifting landscape will displace many occupations, it will also generate millions of new Canadian jobs, many of which will require a new mix of skills.
“Our existing education and training systems are not preparing people for a future of work that is itself evolving,” said Prieeyya Kaur Kesh, CEO & Founder of Our Wave Hub. “There is a disconnect between how people are trained and what employers look for when they hire. At Our Wave Hub, we hope to help bridge this gap delivering modular, practical and in-demand training in job clusters that are experiencing sustainable growth.”
Our Wave Hub will provide an opportunity for underserved segments of the Ontario workforce to access digital up-skilling free of charge until March of 2022. Part of their goal is to support skills development among traditionally underrepresented groups in the tech and innovation workforce. In an effort to promote equitable training outcomes, Our Wave Hub will be prioritizing applicants who self-identify as being part of an underrepresented group, such as women, racialized groups and Indigenous peoples. Applications are now open for the November cohort at www.ourwavehub.com.
About Our Wave Hub:
Our Wave Hub is a Canadian ed-tech company and strategic advisory practice with the mission to enable people and organizations to navigate our rapidly changing workforce. Their training works to bridge the skills gap between a displaced and emerging workforce, and the in-demand skills employers are looking to hire for. Our Wave Hub offers intersectional learning experiences that are anchored in technical, analytical and soft skills training.
SOURCE Our Wave Hub
