The county of Wellington has received nearly $100,000 in provincial funding to support local initiatives aimed at attracting immigrants and international students.
The county was informed about two weeks ago that it will receive $98,574 for a two-year initiative based out the economic development division, states a Feb. 24 press release issued by the county.
In year one the focus will be on information gathering and developing strategies to enhance attraction of global talent to rural labour markets. Year two will feature skill-building workshops to improve the retention and integration of immigrants and international students in rural communities. Whenever possible, the project will connect job seekers with local employment opportunities, county officials state.
“Supporting the economic integration of immigrants and international students in rural labour markets is an innovative initiative funded by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration,” said county councillor George Bridge, chair of the economic development committee.
“It is designed to support the economic integration of immigrants and international students in Wellington County. Input from local employers will be central to this undertaking, and will shape project materials and activities.”
Project partners include the University of Guelph, Conestoga College, Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington, the Guelph-Wellington Local Immigration Partnership Project, Wellington Waterloo Community Futures and the Town of Minto.
Bridge, also mayor of Minto, told the Advertiser the initiative will help companies like Palmerston-based TG Minto and MSW plastics, which have struggled to find local workers with the required skills.
“It’s a good move for us, because this is something that really nobody’s been doing,” said Bridge.
Economic development manager Crystal Ellis said the county is planning a survey aimed at connecting global talent with “what our labour markets are looking for.”
She said, “We’re trying to find the best way to really integrate immigrants and international students into our workforce … We want to make sure we’re meeting the right needs, that we’re directing people into jobs that they’re going to stay [at]for a long time. We care a little bit more about making sure this works in the long term, instead of just short-term goals.”
Ellis said the approach dovetails with other county talent attraction initiatives, including an ongoing project aimed at integrating youth into the labour market in rural areas, for which the county earlier received a $65,000 grant.
“What we’re trying to do is go out to our businesses and connect them with international students that want to stay in engineering and high-skilled type jobs and get them to come into the rural areas where they tend not to go,” Bridge stated.
Ellis added, “We can’t grow our businesses if we don’t have the people to help do the work, and with our low unemployment rate we have to find ways to ensure our business can thrive, to ensure that we can keep attracting business to the area.”
