Ontario funds pilot project to help veterans transition to civilian life

Project includes technical skills training, job placements in IT, finance

Ontario funds pilot project to help veterans transition to civilian life
Through the Elevate Plus – Military project, CAF veterans will learn the technical skills they need to find jobs as they transition to civilian life. Shutterstock

Ontario is contributing $834,900 towards a pilot project meant to help former members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) start careers in the information technology and financial sectors.

Through the Elevate Plus – Military project, CAF veterans will learn the technical skills they need to find jobs as they transition to civilian life, and be provided with paid job placements,.

The government is partnering with the Quinte Economic Development Commission and Loyalist College in Belleville, Ont. It’s meant to create 56 training opportunities at CFB Trenton.

"Armed Forces members generally exit the service at an age where they have many years of work ahead of them," says Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training and skills development.

"But the transition to civilian life is a dramatic one. It often requires people to learn new skills to help them find potential employers, succeed in an interview and then excel in a new work environment.”

On average, 3,850 service members leave the CAF each year to live or work in Ontario, says the government, with the average age upon release from service being 38.5.

The pilot project will also teach veterans – along with their family members – important soft skills such as business etiquette and conflict resolution in the workplace.

Similar projects to help military families in other parts of Ontario will be considered, says McNaughton.

"We hope this pilot will serve as a model we can roll out across the province.”

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