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Career Transition Assistance Initiative
New in Canada's Economic Action Plan
Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government has implemented the Career Transition Assistance (CTA) initiative to help long-tenured workers (LTWs) update and acquire new skills. implemented in partnership with provinces and territories, this initiative was estimated to cost $500 million over two years. It is expected that thousands of lTWs will benefit from the Extended Employment Insurance and Training Initiative (EEITI) and participate in the Severance Investment for Training Initiative (SITI).
About the Program
The Employment Insurance (EI) program provides temporary income support to individuals who have contributed to the program and who have either lost their job through no fault of their own or who have to take a temporary absence from work due to illness, childbirth or parenting or to provide care or support for a family member who is gravely ill with a significant risk of death. The EI program also provides employment programming and services to Canadians through Employment Benefits and Support Measures, or similar programming, through Labour Market Development Agreements with provinces and territories under Part II of the Employment Insurance Act.
How It Works
The CTA initiative, which was implemented on May 31, 2009, in partnership with the provinces and territories, is a temporary measure to provide support to lTWs undertaking long-term training.
The initiative targets LTWs; that is, unemployed individuals who were employed for a significant length of time and who have made only limited use of EI over the past five years. The CTA initiative is comprised of the following two components:
- The EEITI increases the duration of EI Part I income support offered to lTWs pursuing significant training up to a maximum of 104 weeks (including the two-week waiting period). This extension includes up to 12 consecutive weeks of EI regular benefits following the completion of training to facilitate job search and re-employment.
- The SITI allows earlier access to EI Part I regular benefits for eligible claimants who invest in their own training using all or part of their severance package.
Note: SITI participants who meet the eligibility requirements of the EEITI will be able to participate in both measures.
Who Is Eligible
Individuals with claims started between January 25, 2009 to May 29, 2010, and who meet eligibility criteria can benefit from this initiative, which is available in all 58 EI regions across Canada.
How to Find Out More
More information on these measures is available from the Government of Canada's toll-free information line, 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232; TTY: 1-800-926-9105), from the Service Canada website or from Service Canada Centres.
Initiative Update
As of July 22, 2010, Service Canada has contacted more than 654,000 lTWs to notify them of their potential eligibility to participate in the initiative. The majority of these individuals are in hard-hit regions such as southwestern Ontario, Montréal or southern Alberta. To date, more than 10,900 LTWs have participated in long-term training programs.
More Info:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/careertransition.shtml
For more information on the Economic Action Plan initiatives, follow the links below:
