The Government of British Columbia is investing $4 million into tech training charity NPower Canada to expand the Canadian Tech Talent Accelerator (CTTA), a program aimed at upskilling youth who are underrepresented in the tech sector.
The CTTA, launched in 2021, is run through a partnership facilitated by Digital, one of Canada’s innovation clusters. The project is led by NPower, and is supported by Microsoft Canada, CIBC, as well as the federal government and the government of BC.
Over 80 percent of CTTA graduates secure a job or enroll in post-secondary education within six months of graduation.
The CTTA is a national initiative, according to a spokesperson from NPower, however the BC government’s investment is focused on growing the capacity and curriculum of the program’s BC portion.
A statement issued today on the funding noted that the latest investment from the BC government is expected to support an additional 1,800 participants in BC.
The CTTA encompasses a 15-week online skills training and job placement program, which offers students industry certification and support in finding a tech job. Areas covered include data analytics and web development. A statement from NPower noted that the next phase of the CTTA will introduce new skill-building and job opportunities in cybersecurity and generative AI.
According to NPower, the CTTA program has put more than 6,400 people on the path to tech employment since 2021, with the charity noting that 80 percent of graduates secure employment or enroll in post-secondary education within six months of graduation.
“The CTTA program contributes to making the province’s workforce more inclusive, highly skilled and competitive, and helps build British Columbia’s clean and innovative economy of the future,” BC’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey said in the statement.
The program is looking to specifically support underrepresented groups in the tech sector, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC), newcomers to Canada, women, and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community.
According to an NPower statement, 77 percent of the 2,200 CTTA participants in BC identify as BIPOC, and 65 percent identify as newcomers. Notably, a 2016 report in The Globe and Mail described Vancouver as CTTA partner Microsoft’s “staging post” for bringing in foreign tech workers.
In a statement, CEO of NPower Canada Julia Blackburn said the new funding will help the program support more underrepresented youth and adults entering the tech sector.
“This investment will enable us to foster a more inclusive workforce, drive innovation, and spur economic growth,” Blackburn added.
Feature image courtesy Unsplash. Photo by Mimi Thian.