The Manitoba government, along with the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, is spending more than $1 million on child-care services for newcomer families, Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko announced Thursday.
“Child-care access remains a barrier to finding and keeping employment. This initiative will remove that barrier, allowing more newcomers to find meaningful employment and enter Manitoba’s labour market,” said Ewasko.
By April 2023, the entirety of the $1 million will support 68 fully subsidized licensed child-care spaces for these newcomer families, the minister noted.
The new pilot project will help newcomers overcome the barrier of finding reliable child care and help them keep employment through the Newcomer Employment Hub.
“The chamber is proud to collaborate with the Manitoba government on this innovative child-care partnership with our Newcomer Employment Hub,” said Loren Remillard, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
The hub is an innovative online job tool offered by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce that creates quality job matches between newcomer jobseekers and Manitoba employers.
It launched earlier in the summer and is part of the chamber’s commitment to opportunity, diversity and equality.
The online platform uses advanced technology to create quality, long-lasting connections between employers and newcomer jobseekers, with the support of newcomer service agencies.
“Our Newcomer Employment Hub is an innovative solution addressing these needs by connecting, via artificial intelligence, employers with newcomers who now call Winnipeg home. Today’s announcement will help break down a significant barrier to that connection,” said Remillard.
The new spaces will be dedicated for newcomers who are taking part in the Newcomer Employment Hub program.
Ongoing planning for future expansions may include capital improvements and renovations to support additional child-care spaces, which will be determined following a review of the outcomes of the pilot project, Ewasko added.