Ontario Helping Students and Jobseekers in London Gain In-Demand Skills

Press Release

Innovative programs help solve real-life challenges and offer valuable work experience

August 19, 2020

LONDON — The Ontario government is investing $1.49 million in skills training in the London area to help students and other jobseekers gain in-demand training so they can be career ready for future employers.

Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, announced the investment at CityStudio London, a training project overseen by the Pillar Nonprofit Network, which will receive $214,000 to give up to 780 students practical on-the-job experience.

The $1.49 million investment also includes:

• $440,000 for Greenhouse Academy to train 540 youth for careers in landscaping, horticulture and agriculture.
• $500,000 for Let’s Talk Science to help prepare 2,200 elementary and high-school students for careers in STEM sectors.
• $98,000 for Fanshawe College to help 25 people in underrepresented groups find careers in the window- and door-installation industries.
• $53,000 for Habitat ReStore to help 480 job seekers learn skills such as general finishing, carpentry and customer service at its Heartland ReStore location.
• $185,375 for Pathways Skills Development to prepare 25 newcomers and Indigenous people for employment in manufacturing and/or construction sectors.

“This CityStudio London program is a great example of why we’re making investments in training. It harnesses students’ curiosity and problem-solving skills to benefit the City of London and advance the students’ career prospects,” said Minister McNaughton. “New skills and practical, hands-on experience, which are on offer at all of the programs announced across the London area today, help students and job-seekers find good jobs and contribute to Ontario’s economic recovery.”

“We got to do data collection in the field and speak to homeowners and business owners who were in the process of improving their business façade,” said Jacob Smith, a Fanshawe College student who participated in a CityStudio London initiative about community improvement programs in 2020. “It was a great experience to get out into the community and see how these programs are used by people in the real world.”

“This funding will allow CityStudio London to continue providing postsecondary students an innovative and collaborative way of learning while addressing today’s challenges in their community, such as COVID-19 recovery, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability,” said Michelle Baldwin, executive director of Pillar Nonprofit Network. “We look forward to seeing the continued positive impacts of CityStudio London for both students and our community over the coming year.”

“Programs like CityStudio and others across the London area help people gain in-demand skills and find jobs,” said Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London. “Making sure people have the skills employers need is essential to supporting Ontario’s economic recovery.”

Quick Facts

• CityStudio London partners with faculty and students at local post-secondary institutions Brescia University, Fanshawe College, Huron University, King’s University College and Western University, to identify and solve local challenges in creative and entrepreneurial ways.
• Recent examples of CityStudio London projects include creating a best practices plan for recycling in city parks, a local implementation strategy for a Canadian child literacy program and the piloting of a social housing client survey.
• Upon completion of their projects, students showcase their work at twice-yearly open house events, demonstrating their newly gained research, presentation and management skills. The students’ work also provides staff with new and different perspectives to consider as they advance their work.