CORNWALL, Ontario – The Ontario Emerging Jobs Institute (OEJI) officially launched at the Nav Centre on Wednesday, Sept. 5.
The Institute promises to train 160 students in post-secondary level education for free in four different learning streams.
The deadline to apply for one of the programs is Oct. 31 with classes starting Jan. 14. Each program is scheduled to run for 10 weeks. Each program will also come with a three-month work placement to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace.
OEJI will be working under the umbrella of the Cornwall Innovation Centre (CIC). CIC Executive Director Kelly Bergeron explained the work that went into making the Institute possible.
“This has been a short process that felt like a long process,” she said.
Bergeron introduced the many organizations involved in making the new Institute a reality. Big Catch Communications outlined the aggressive marketing strategy that they developed to meet the Institute’s goal of attracting 160 students. Ryan Seale of Seale Strategies created the website, an app for students and employers was created by Media Platforms and Blue Ocean worked on the SalesForce integration between the Institute’s website and the app.
In all, OEJI hopes to have 40 students in each of their four streams. Their four learning streams include Agri-tech, Digital Skills, Business Skills and Blended Learning.
The curriculum for the Digital Skills program is being developed by Canada Learning Code, a nationwide organization dedicated to teaching digital skills to Canadians.
Canada Learning Code Co-Founder and CEO Melissa Sariffodeen was at the OEJI launch on Wednesday and explained that this Institute has been a long time in the making.
“I remember talking to Kelly in San Francisco and she told me how much Canada Learning Code was needed in Cornwall,” said Sariffodeen. “Canada Learning Code is proud to be partnering with her on this project.”
Bergeron explained that the Blended Learning stream combined online, and in-person learning and aimed to teach shills in artificial intelligence, internet of things, quantum computing and more.
While admission into the programs are free, OEJI will still be offering scholarships for students who might be facing other financial hurdles, such as room and board. Bergeron says that in total, OEJI has $100,000 in scholarships that can be given away on a need-by-need basis.
Applications are open now at oeji.ca
