Karen Casey, MLA
Colchester North
Constituency Office
30 Duke Street, Suite 14
Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 2A1
Phone 893-2180
Fax 893-3064
Email: karencasey@ns.aliantzinc.ca
Hours - Monday - Friday 8:30 - 4:30
CoRDA has been awarded an 18-month contract to deliver an “Innovation Capacity Building Project” to four rural communities in Colchester, as well as to the manufacturing, sector. The project, funded through monies received from Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and NS Office of Economic Development are earmarked for initiatives that encourage innovation at the community level, as well as in the business community. In building “Community Learning Networks and Community Learning Organizations”, CoRDA and partners from the business community and rural areas are addressing the shortfall in human resources as cited in the new 5-year regional economic plan – “Growing Colchester 2005-2010”.
The last census in 2001 revealed that a staggering 30% of Colchester’s adult population have not completed high school. The Economic Sector strategy completed by CANMAC in 2003 indicates that there will be a total new demand for labour force of approximately 30% in most sectors due to retirements and declining population. Our population has had a minimal increase between 2001 to 2006 and continues to be accompanied by an aging population and an growing out-migration occurring in the 15-29 age range. People are our most valuable resource! We need to ensure that whoever wants to contribute to our economy in this region can, despite barriers like lack of education. We need to ensure that our population experiences growth to fill the expected labour force demand.
The Innovation Learning Communities project is addressing labour force issues by engaging community members and representatives from the business community in finding innovative ways to raise community productivity and skills levels and to foster idea-sharing and learning.
Over the past 18 months three communities _ Upper Stewiacke, Great Village and Tatamagouche have become designated “Learning Communities” and in doing so are developing and implementing a structured approach to offering courses and programs that will help local area citizens attain the skills – whether basic literacy or more advanced workplace skills - to reach their personal career goals. All three Learning Communities are striving to ensure that local citizens will achieve the skills to ameliorate the workforce deficiency in Colchester region.
Karen Casey, MLA
Colchester North
Constituency Office
30 Duke Street, Suite 14
Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 2A1
Phone 893-2180
Fax 893-3064
Email: karencasey@ns.aliantzinc.ca
Hours - Monday - Friday 8:30 - 4:30
In the spring of 2007, Tatamagouche, Great Village and Upper Stewiacke held expositions to showcase past, present and future learning in their communities. All expositions were well-attended and many people became more familiar with learning opportunities they can access in their own communities. Academic upgrading, computer courses, communications skills and personality dimensions are only a few of the wide variety of courses that will be offered.
In consultation with the regional Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, CoRDA has organized two supervisory training programs, where forty employees have participated in six half day sessions, including topics related to: “dealing with difficult people, understanding personality types and effective communications skills”. Feedback from the participants and from employers and managers indicates many positive benefits for enhancing workplace productivity. More supervisory training workshops will be offered, as the demand occurs.
Anyone interested in gaining more information about the Innovative Learning Communities initiatives should contact Anna Parks at CoRDA. Call: 893-6906 or e-mail: aparks@corda.ca