From left, Quinte Economic Development Commission Executive Director Chris King and Chair Ross Rae, March 27, 2018 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
With unemployment at a very low mark in eastern Ontario and the Quinte area companies are experiencing difficulty in getting skilled workers.
Quinte Economic development Executive Director Chris King told the commission board Tuesday it may be an ideal location for a company to settle in, but if you don’t have the right workforce “not much else matters.”
King says the labour market is very tight but it’s not just the Bay of Quinte.
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He says the QEDC focuses on bringing more people into the workforce.
King points to the Elevate Plus program that trains people for jobs in a matter of weeks and is beginning to spread across the province.
He explained there is “much less free trade around the world and there’s a thickening of borders.”
Quinte Economic Development Business Development Officer Vickie Bristow Ferguson and Executive Director Chris King, March 27, 2018 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Explaining the use of site selectors in attracting business to the Quinte region, King said 35% of all the projects are through the selectors. Business Development Officer Vickie Bristow Ferguson indicated she also does direct outreach to companies and had done six of them recently.
Bristown Ferguson says she is working through 61 such projects.
