Program to help older workers in B.C. extended

4,000 people have been able to participate since 2007

An agreement between the federal government and British Columbia to help unemployed older workers has been extended to March 31, 2014.

The Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) was introduced in 2006 as a cost-shared initiative between the government of Canada and participating provinces and territories.

By extending the agreement yet again, the governments of Canada and B.C. will invest a further $6.5 million to support older workers living in smaller communities throughout the province. This is in addition to the more than $30.6 million in federal and provincial funding that has been made available since the TIOW agreement was signed in 2007.

To date, more than 4,000 individuals living in B.C. have been given the opportunity to participate in TIOW projects to develop their employability skills and take advantage of work experience opportunities.

“Through the renewal of the Canada-British Columbia Targeted Initiative for Older Workers agreement, we are helping 1,350 unemployed older workers across British Columbia develop new skills so they can make the transition to new jobs,” said Diane Finley, minister of human resources and skills development,

The agreement is about leveraging an important resource in Canada’s economy — older workers, said Pat Bell, minister of jobs, tourism and skills training and minister responsible for labour.

“Using labour market programs like these.... helps British Columbia capitalize on the human resources we already have in this province so we get the right people the right skills to fill the over one million jobs we expect in B.C. by 2020.”

Thus far, the TIOW has helped more than 18,500 unemployed older workers across Canada retrain for new careers, said the government.


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