Nearly $30 million set for marine training of Canada’s underrepresented groups

To meet the marine industry’s growing demand for employees, the Government of Canada has announced a new investment of almost $30 million to provide training to underrepresented groups in coastal communities. 

A part of Canada's Oceans Protection Plan, the funding announced by Transport Canada is aimed at building a robust, skilled marine workforce. The investment will be used to extend the Marine Training Program by four years, and to provide marine training opportunities for Indigenous people, Northerners and women.

The new investment will entail renewing partnerships with organizations previously involved in the project, including the British Columbia Technology Institute, in partnership with Camosun College, the Nova Scotia Community College, and the Nunavut Fisheries and Marine Training Consortium.

While the Marine Training Program has already graduated more than 650 students from underrepresented groups to enable their pursuance of marine industry careers, the new funding to partner institutions will allow these centres to deliver marine training courses and increase recruitment and diversity.