The province announced an investment of $634,000 today to the Centre for Research and Innovation for skills development in the tech sector.

The three-year investment will support the development and implementation of micro-credential and certified programming to help meet shortages in the province’s tech workforce by upskilling participants in a timely manner. In total, eight micro-credentials and four certificates will be developed in the first year, and then implemented in the second and third years.

Funding is provided through the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Market Development Agreement. The Centre for Research and Innovation is a partnership between Grenfell Campus, Memorial University; College of the North Atlantic; and Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. The Centre supports applied research and teaching with a focus on bio, green, circular economies and entrepreneurship across all sectors of the western regional economy.

“This investment puts innovations into action. With the fast pace of change and our evolving demand for skilled labour, targeted and responsive skills recognition is playing an increasingly important role,” says Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills. “When implemented, this new accredited and certified programming will enhance the skillset of current and future technology workers and widen the range of professional work available in the province.”