London – London West Member of Parliament Ed Holder and London West Member of Provincial Parliament Chris Bentley were joined by London colleagues Khalil Ramal and Deb Matthews as they announced a joint investment of $168,460 in Over 55. This investment will provide five job seekers the opportunity to acquire new work skills and experience to help them succeed in the future.

These job seekers will develop a new marketing plan for Over 55. The new plan will be the foundation of reorienting the organization and its business activities to meet the challenges of a new generation of older workers.

This project is jointly funded through Employment Ontario, the Ontario Governments more than $1 billion employment and training network, and the Federal Government.

QUOTES

“By investing in our people and our community, we’re building a brighter future for London,” said Chris Bentley, MPP London West

“This is our first opportunity to have a Job Creation Partnership, and it will allow us to market Over 55 (London) Inc to areas we could not have done in the past due to limited staffing and finances,” said Ron McNish Executive Director of Over 55. “This will also allow our participants to brush up on their skills and subsequently identify more employment opportunities - which is our ultimate goal here at Over 55 (London) Inc, find people employment.”

“London workers have been hit hard by the global recession and we know that older workers face particular challenges,” said Ed Holder MP London West. “We are pleased to know that the Government of Canada, in partnership with other levels of government, are able to provide some assistance to this important sector of our work force.”

QUICK FACTS

§ About seven out of every 10 new jobs created in Ontario over the next decade will require postsecondary education or training.

§ Employment Ontario brings together almost 1,200 service providers in almost 900 locations funded by the Government of Ontario.

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