Today, at our St. Clair College SportPlex, the Honourable Minister Ahmad Hussen Minister of International Development announced $9.9 million in funding to support a new project called Training and Workplace Solutions for Opportunities in the Labour Force (TAWASOL) in Iraq. This project will address youth unemployment by strengthening the alignment between the skills in demand in the private sector and training provided by Vocational Training Centres and Technical Universities in Iraq.
The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, is currently travelling across Canada to exchange views on objectives and results with the international development sector and to meet with Canadians, diaspora communities, as well as private and philanthropic sector organizations to share impacts that Canada's international assistance efforts are having on countries around the world.
Canada is committed to providing youth around the world with opportunities for meaningful employment. After years of conflict, Iraqi youth are suffering from a deepening unemployment crisis that undermines their economic security. Compounding this is the fact that private sector employers lack a skilled youth labour force from which to draw employees. The solution is to create a better alignment between skills training and employment for youth.
Canada relies on the expertise and experience of trusted partners like the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) to help deliver on this commitment.
WUSC is a leading Canadian non-profit organization in international development, committed to building a more equitable and sustainable world. They work with a unique and powerful network of post-secondary institutions, private-sector partners and volunteers to provide education, employment and empowerment opportunities that improve the lives of millions of disadvantaged youth. Canada relies on the expertise and experience of trusted partners like the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) to help deliver on this commitment.
Minister Hussen was joined at the announcement by Irek Kusmierczyk, member of Parliament for Windsor-Tecumseh, Tanya Jordan, Director for Middle East Programs, World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and Mazen Chouaib, President and CEO, Canadian Leaders in International Consulting (CLIC).
After the announcement, Minster Hussen hosted a roundtable with local organizations assisting and supporting international newcomers and refugees to Canada, their training, and all aspects of social, economic and cultural life in the Windsor Essex Region.
