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OTTAWA – In addition to the federal government’s new Workforce Alliance in Advanced Manufacturing, which was recently announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney, five additional alliances are now in the queue, focusing on priority sectors including construction. 

The additional alliances will focus on housing and construction; transportation and supply chains; energy and electricity; mining and minerals; and the care economy.

All of them are meant to bring together governments, industry, labour and training partners to address bottlenecks and catalyse investments.

“The Workforce Alliances are unified by one core mission: to identify and address pressing labour market challenges and to co-ordinate public and private investments in skills development to produce lasting opportunities for Canada’s workers where they are most needed to Build Canada Strong,” a release reads.

Officials will conclude discussions with employers, unions, educational institutions, industry associations and Indigenous partners in the coming weeks to confirm and announce the leadership and priorities for all six alliances.

In addition to this announcement the Government of Canada also stated it is now accepting applications for the new .

A federal government investment of about $102.7 million over two years for the grant builds on the Work-Sharing program.

If approved, employers with active Work-Sharing agreements can use the funds to support their employees to upskill and adapt to changing labour market needs, the release adds. The top-up will allow them to maintain their income while training during lost work time at levels closer to their normal wages, up to 70 per cent of their full-time pay.

Job Bank, Canada’s national employment service, has created a dedicated section for Work-Sharing employers to help identify training areas. It includes a new  and direct connections to upskilling platforms, the release adds.