Whitehorse Daily Star

Entrepreneurship support established for communities

Yukonstruct and Yukon University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship will provide entrepreneurship support to territorial communities thanks to a $740,512.50 funding investment from the federal government’s Future Skills Centre (FSC).

By Whitehorse Star on July 29, 2021

Yukonstruct and Yukon University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship will provide entrepreneurship support to territorial communities thanks to a $740,512.50 funding investment from the federal government’s Future Skills Centre (FSC).

The money will establish the Yukon Skills Research and Engagement project and the Northern Entrepreneur Development Network.

They will aim to help rural Yukon respond to the pandemic and prepare for the workforce of the future.

The programs will engage with communities to understand their entrepreneurial needs.

The Yukon Skills Research and Engagement project will gather data over the next year to determine the impacts of COVID-19, Yukonstruct and the university said Wednesday.

It will also assess the future of work landscape, inform the development of training and program opportunities to help all Yukoners.

The Northern Entrepreneurship Development Network is a two-year program that will develop a network of local support and adapt entrepreneurial programming to serve communities in an accessible, culturally relevant way.

“We are proud to partner with Yukonstruct to help people build resilient businesses that are agile and forward thinking in the face of the new economic reality,” said Lauren Manekin-Beille, who heads Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the university.

“By understanding and responding to the needs of Yukon communities through programs and services, we can empower self-determination, recover from the economic impact of COVID-19, and foster resilience for future shocks.”

Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Yukonstruct will involve communities early in the process by engaging with entrepreneurs, partners and key stakeholders to understand how to best serve rural communities.

“Yukonstruct is dedicated to supporting Yukoners to grow their skills, knowledge, and community connections, so they can bring their ideas to life,” said Lana Selbee, the executive director of the Yukonstruct Society.

“Preparing Yukoners of all ages for jobs of the future is key to fostering economic resilience in Canada’s North,” Selbee added.

“This partnership with Yukon University and support from Future Skills Centre allows us to expand our work to ensure all Yukoners have access to skill development, entrepreneurship, and the networks and connections they need to build thriving communities and futures.”

These programs are a result of the Future Skills Centre’s call for proposals for the Shock-proofing the Future of Work: Skills Innovation Challenge, in which 64 projects were funded throughout Canada.

The projects will affect thousands of Canadians in all provinces and territories and in a variety of sectors.

“As we look forward to a world post-recovery, we know that a dynamic skills agenda will be central to Canada’s success in a constantly-changing labour market,” said Pedro Barata, the executive director of the Future Skills Centre.

“By leveraging networks of mentors to build a thriving entrepreneur community in Yukon’s rural communities, this program will help design new skills development approaches that allow Canadian workers and businesses to seize opportunities in our future economy.”

“Today’s announcement highlights the importance of collaboration and innovation across all sectors, to build a skilled, agile workforce that is ready and able to shape the future,” said Yukon MP Larry Bagnell.

“I know this funding will allow our communities to continue learning, acquire new skills, and create opportunities for all across the Yukon.

“Together, we can and will pave a way forward to ensure that our workforce is at the forefront of innovative thinking and action, now and for years to come.”

Comments (11)

Up 0 Down 0

Naseem Javed on Aug 7, 2021 at 9:35 am

Communities big or small, businesses big or small all need entrepreneurialism base to grow... economy is not about just numbers rather about out of box thinking and creative growth... the local leadership and trade groups require new post pandemic mindset .... rest is easy
Entrepreneurialism & Digitalization: Recovery of Midsize Business Economies
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2021/07/22/entrepreneurialism-digitalization-recovery-of-midsize-business-economies/

Up 0 Down 0

Groucho d'North on Aug 4, 2021 at 4:17 pm

How will the performance of this program be evaluated? Is there a minumum threshold to be reached for the funding to continue or will the money just keep flowing after the election?

Up 8 Down 0

Anie on Aug 3, 2021 at 1:25 pm

Wow. So much bafflegab in just about every quote. I still don't quite understand how this is going to work. But I'm pretty sure the usual group of "consultants " will benefit. I put the word in quotations because, in this case, it has much to do with who you know and not much to do with what you know. How sad that the Yukon continues to thrive on handouts and bs.

Up 15 Down 0

Jim on Aug 3, 2021 at 10:41 am

Is there no end to the money flush that goes to Yukonstruct?

Up 13 Down 2

My Opinion on Aug 2, 2021 at 4:14 pm

Tons of Entrepreneurship around the communities where there is mining activity. But what is the Government doing? Trying to shut it down through unimaginable red tape, water licence requirements, YESEB Red Tape, Wild life and environment.

There is not a ton of possibilities for entrepreneurs in the small communities and small med and large mining operations provide tons of said opportunities for small support industries to support mining.

But no, the GOV thinks it knows best. The world has lost its collective mind. Government workers, University management that have never been in business will tell you how it should be done. Let's throw some touchy feely and PC in there to make it more complicated and more impossible to achieve. It is not hard to blow out the spark of entrepreneurship.

Up 13 Down 2

doug martens on Aug 1, 2021 at 7:10 pm

Sorry we killed, crushed and annihilated the business you spent 20 years of your life building for no earthly reason. Here's a buck. Buy yourself a nice ice cream cone. your friends: the liberals.

Up 16 Down 1

Nathan Living on Aug 1, 2021 at 1:22 am

Please stop giving money away when the gift just adds to our national debt.
There are self important groups lining up to get generous Liberal funding. Paying off our deficit seems to be unattainable for decades to come and the giveaways are happening at delta covid outbreak speed.

I would like to pay more federal taxes for worthwhile programs, not gladhanding superfluous election giveaways.
And seriously, why can't the Yukon government pay for upgrades to the Klondike highway?
And why do we need universal daycare when many people have the financial resources to pay daycare costs?

Word is out that the Yukon is a great place to live even with an inflated housing market. Its a progressive experiment of spreading money around for sketchy political gladhanding.

Up 31 Down 1

Dave on Jul 30, 2021 at 12:57 pm

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank my great-great-great grandchildren who will still be paying for todays runaway out of control government spending. If you think people today are bad mouthing boomers for supposedly taking it all you haven't heard anything compared to what future generations are going to say when they see what the debt they've been crippled with by todays federal and territorial Liberals. Oh that's right, I forgot the debt will take care of itself, ha.

Up 36 Down 3

Max Mack on Jul 30, 2021 at 11:11 am

Classic circle jerk. Liberals feeding liberals. Undoubtedly, this money will be used to secure Liberal votes in the communities. Just like all the other just-announced cash give-aways before the much-expected election call that are undoubtedly designed to secure the vote for Trudeau.

Besides self-important people saying important-sounding but meaningless things, this funding seems to be a complete waste of very valuable resources.

Up 25 Down 1

Sheepchaser on Jul 29, 2021 at 6:32 pm

“will engage with communities to understand their entrepreneurial needs”

Spare yourself the drive. It’s about what you’d expect:
-More reliable internet with greater bandwidth and lower latency
-Less government downloading of their responsibilities, policies and reporting requirements onto the shoulders of small businesses
-Manageable pathways through regulation and consultation with replicable results based on clearly communicated expectations
-Safe and secure communities with willing and able workers
-Tax breaks for businesses based on local hiring
-Cost splitting incentives for employer-funded skills training in targeted industries through post-secondary partners
-Territory-wide standardization of core municipal by-laws and regulations as it applies to businesses
-Elimination of municipal fees collected from businesses with ten employees or less
-Development of a power generation strategy that will freeze or decrease power utility cost in the near future

Some of these are immediate and some are more related to how a business creator must see a viable, yes that means profitable (gasp!), future projection for an investment. However, none of it really goes anywhere without the first item. Modern, agile, pivot-possible, shock-resistant business is reliant on constant adaptation through acquisition and application of new data and knowledge.

I really hope the money goes to the communities, not the consultants. Wouldn’t put any of my own money on that hope though, just the tax-payers’.

Up 33 Down 3

Crunch on Jul 29, 2021 at 4:43 pm

Here we go again. How many entrepreneurship programs have hit the Yukon in the last 40 years? It's a tough enough job to run a business in Whitehorse much less trying it in a community. But there is an election looming so it's a good time to spin the positive and make folks feel good with jingle and not dry pockets. Don't worry, Larry is just getting warmed up. The problem with being older is that watching this charade gets more painful.

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