Ottawa, ON — On World Environment Day, Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), announced over $30 million to create 960 green jobs and training opportunities over the next two years for youth in the natural resources sectors that have positive environmental outcomes.
The green jobs and training opportunities are funded by NRCan’s Science and Technology Internship Program (STIP), part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) to increase the employability skills of young adults aged 15 to 30 and invest in building a diverse and inclusive workforce in the natural resources sector. As a delivery organization for this program, Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) will support green jobs and training opportunities for youth to gain valuable on-the-job experience and advance careers in the forest and conservation sector.
Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Project Learning Tree Canada, and Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources Canada and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
“We are so proud of our collaboration with NRCan to grow a resilient and diverse workforce in the forest sector. Through the STIP Green Jobs program, PLT Canada has ensured that more than 90% of participants are from diverse backgrounds, including women, Indigenous youth, and visible minorities. This funding will allow us to help young adults gain the skills and experience they need to make a successful transition into the workforce. We know this program makes a difference as 85% of PLT Canada’s STIP-funded youth have found full time jobs following their placements,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO, Sustainable Forestry Initiative and PLT Canada.
PLT Canada is a not-for-profit charitable organization whose mission is to advance environmental education, forest literacy and career pathways using trees and forests as windows on the world. PLT Canada is committed to engaging youth in learning about the world around them—in rural, Indigenous, and urban communities—and using trees and forests to inspire action and grow the next generation of future forest and conservation leaders.
We invite you to read the full Government of Canada press release: New Youth Jobs-Training Across Clean Technology and Sustainable Resource Sector.
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The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, nonprofit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development.
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