Officials with Fanshawe College have taken the wraps off of a new, free skills development initiative they say is aimed at creating job opportunities with local employers and filling employment gaps in the construction industry.

Led by the college’s Corporate Training Solutions, the three-phase program, dubbed the “Skills2Build – General Construction program,” is being geared towards Ontarians 18 and older who are unemployed, precariously employed, or employed with a low household income.

Phase one of the program is set to begin on June 7, consisting of six weeks of online and in-person training dealing with soft and technical skills, the college said in a release Wednesday.

In a statement, Candace Miller, senior manager of the college’s Strategic Initiatives and Business Development, called the program, which is funded in part by the provincial and federal governments, a “win-win for everyone.”

“It not only provides the training skilled workers need in the construction sector to hit the ground running, but also gives employers an opportunity to engage graduates in a paid work placement to help fill employment gaps,” Miller said.

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