A new agreement between the provincial government and the Saint John Learning Exchange was revealed virtually on Wednesday. (Teams screen shot)
The provincial government and the Saint John Learning Exchange have formed a long-term performance-based agreement worth $4-million.
Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder said the Learning Exchange will provide employment assistance services over the next five years to the Greater Saint John region.
During a virtual meeting on Wednesday afternoon with more than 30 participants, Holder said the Learning Exchange created two successful businesses which have employed people that completed their programs.
“Stone Soup, a catering cafe company that you’ve set up. Voila Cleaning Services. These have employed a number of people in our community over the last number of years,” Holder said.
Christina Fowler of the Saint John Learning Exchange said the conversations leading to this agreement started over two years ago with a goal to do business differently.
“PETL, the Learning Exchange and Mars Discovery District, a social finance leader in Toronto, have worked diligently to create a new, better and smarter funding model for organizations like ours. It’s based on funding outcomes and includes a premium payout for achieved targets. Just like businesses do,” Fowler said.
Fowler said they know they can deliver on these expectations because they prove it every day along with their learners.
Learning Exchange alumni Chelsey Hovey told her story of surviving sexual assault, battling mental illness and multiple suicide attempts before being recommended to the Exchange.
“Here I am as of July 2018, I graduated [from] the different programs. The path set before me is just wide open. I’m full of confidence. I’ve learned that I am a productive member of society,” Hovey said.
PETL Minister Trevor Holder said the Learning Exchange has provided services on behalf of the government for 14 years through a series of three-year contracts.
He called them an example of “government unnecessarily complicating the work of a great local partner”.
Holder said they are pleased to move away from that practice.
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