CWA Canada to subsidize skills training for
members who lose jobs in economic downturn
As the recession takes a devastating toll
on workers across the country, CWA Canada hopes to ease the
pain of job loss for members and increase their employment
prospects by subsidizing skills training and upgrades.
Any member who becomes jobless in 2009 due to layoff, buyout
or early retirement is eligible for reimbursement of up to
$500 upon proof of payment for a course of his or her choosing.
An alternative choice for the member is
to take any one of hundreds of online courses in the fields
of either digital
media, telecommunications or software offered
by the CWA/NETT Academy.
The one-time grant program, to be financed out of the union's
Defence Fund, was approved at the spring meeting of the National
Representative Council. It applies to members who lose their
jobs in 2009. Requests for reimbursement must be filed by
the end of this year.
Although the retraining initiative was established in response
to widespread cuts in the media industry, it is available
to members in all sectors of the union.
The digital media courses offered by CWA/NETT include video
production and editing, web design, Flash and basic HTML.
Telecom courses include DC/AC circuits analysis, fibre optics,
basic networking, VOIP and data communications.
CWA/NETT, through an arrangement with Lynda.com, offers
more than 600 courses in software, ranging from Access to
Moodle to ZBrush 3.
The head office can be reached by email to info@cwa-scacanada.ca or by calling (toll-free) 1-877-486-4292. Members in the
Ottawa-Carleton region can call 613-820-9777.