Though fast-growing employment sectors such as skilled trades and health are facing labour shortages in many communities, few unemployed adults in rural and small urban communities are accessing work opportunities in these sectors. In three rural communities in Ontario, this problem often results from the fact that people looking for work are unfamiliar with the full range opportunities available in these growth industries and how to meet the requirements for entry. The future growth sectors of Health Care Services in Victoria County and Skilled Trades in both Simcoe/Muskoka and Brockville were identified as areas where there is a growing, unmet demand for workers.




Using low cost and accessible eLearning, unemployed adults in three rural Ontario communities will become acquainted with future growth sectors poised for local development.

• Gain an understanding of the range of work activities within these sectors
• Gain insight into skills, experience and credential requirements (including how transferable skills gained in other industry settings can meet these requirements)
• Become aware of the behaviours and characteristics of those who tend to be successful in these sectors
• Learn of the gaps between their qualifications and those required by employers in these sectors (if applicable)
• Develop personalized learning plans which address these gaps

• Establish curricula: generic, online, sector-specific, and technical
• Create an Ontario-wide learning community to facilitate knowledge sharing and peer support among agencies using e-learning to support their CBT models

• Develop the capacity to connect opportunities with those who need them using: a network of community-focused information; mentoring; community-driven facilitation by employers, employees, community based trainers and job seekers
• Provide an opportunity for people to engage in learning, gain knowledge about themselves and their careers, and participate in their community

The Pilot Phase project will form the basis of a new model of service delivery to the disadvantaged client population that the Community Based Training (CBT) organizations serve in their local areas. Building on the curriculum, online facilitation methods and eLearning platform developed through the pilot project, this new method has the potential to open up new opportunities for the use of eLearning within the sector.