Calgary, AB, May 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) announced today that NPower Canada will receive $100,000 to support its expansion into Calgary where its workforce development program will help launch underserved youth into digital careers.
The announcement was made at the opening of NPower Canada’s new location in downtown Calgary with its CEO Julia Blackburn and Calgary City Councillor Jeff Davison, who is a member of the Board of Directors for OCIF and Calgary Economic Development.
NPower Canada’s program offers upskilling to underserved youth for the present and future of work. The first 15-week cohort of 35 Calgarians aged 18 to 29 begins on May 21. In the next three years, NPower Canada expects at least 300 unemployed and underemployed youth will enroll in its program to launch meaningful and rewarding tech careers.
“The mandate for the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund is to make transformative investments in our city. There are few things as transformative for someone who is unemployed and underemployed as a chance to acquire the skills, at no cost to them, to start a career in the tech sector and contribute to a strong Calgary economy as they make a better future for themselves and their families in this city,” said Davison.
The Calgary location is NPower Canada’s first outside the Greater Toronto Area.
“We are grateful for the support we have received from the Calgary community as we launch NPower Canada here. The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund’s contribution to our program will benefit both deserving young adults that want to join the workforce and businesses that have junior IT jobs to fill. NPower Canada helps communities bridge this gap between supply and demand. It’s good for youth and their families, its good business and it’s good economic development.,” said Blackburn.
NPower Canada is the fourth funding announcement from OCIF. Since its launch in April 2018, OCIF has received more than 200 applications. In the review process, each submission is assessed against specific criteria:
- Economic benefits to Calgary in terms of investment, new revenue growth and property taxes.
- Alignment with key industries and sectors in the economic strategy for Calgary.
- Number and quality of jobs created for Calgarians.
- Impact on the innovation and sector ecosystems.
- Leveraged funding and alignment with strategic initiatives.
- Social benefits to the citizens of Calgary.
“In the digital economy the biggest demand in all of our industrial sectors is for tech talent and NPower Canada’s proven program aligns with our talent objectives in the economic strategy Calgary in the New Economy. It provides opportunities for underserved young adults to start careers in tech when we have more jobs than qualified people to fill them,” said Mary Moran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calgary Economic Development.
About Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund
Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund was created as a wholly owned subsidiary of the City of Calgary in April 2018 to support catalytic investments that will help to transform the city’s economy. For more information, visit our website at https://www.opportunitycalgaryinvestmentfund.com/