Durham College (DC) is pleased to share that the Career Ready Fund (CRF) Auto Stream program, a collaboration between DC, Ontario Tech University and Loyalist College, recently received a $757,143 investment from the Ontario government.

Announced last week, the funding is part of a larger investment from the Ontario government of $37 million province-wide to help people in Ontario train for jobs in the automotive, transportation and construction sectors, helping thousands of job seekers get the skills they need to become job ready.

Through the CRF Auto Stream program, organizations looking for talent in numerous disciplines, including electrical, mechanical and software engineering; accounting; human resources; marketing; and nursing, or for skilled trade apprentices and technologists, will receive $3,000 for each student placement that lasts anywhere from 10 weeks to four months.

This funding will count towards either the hiring of new graduates and apprentices and/or co-operative education students and can be provided retroactively to hires dating back to April 1, 2020. Higher amounts per placement will apply for participants with one or more disability. The CRF can be stacked with federal funding to reduce employment costs by up to 100% and can access incentives to support up to 12 candidates per business.

“Investments like these ensure our students have the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on skills in real-world work environments, better preparing them for life after graduation,” said DC President, Don Lovisa. “Local employers will have the ability to leverage the creativity, talent and innovation of DC students to help drive our economic vitality and recovery.”

During the announcement, the Ontario government also committed $121,847 to develop and implement Jobsite Readiness Micro-credentials in DC’s Centre for Professional and Part-time Learning. This program will prepare underrepresented individuals (primarily unemployed youth) in Durham Region for success in entry-level jobs in the construction industry.