Province Helping Art and Culture Businesses Grow
Ontario is improving business and technical training for people who work in the art and culture sector, to help them develop their careers and gain the essential skills to support growth and innovation in the sector.
Harinder Malhi, Parliamentary Assistant to Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, was at the Deaf Culture Centre in Toronto today to announce support for WorkInCulture, a not-for-profit organization that works with training organizations across the province to offer career development and business skills — such as marketing, financial and project management — to workers in the culture sector, including:
- Artists, painters, dancers and glass blowers – and others working in the arts
- Singers, songwriters, directors and storyboard designers in the music, film, TV and interactive digital media industries
- Publishers and editors in the magazine and book industry
- Heritage planners, crafts and trade specialists and librarians.
This investment — which is part of Ontario’s Culture Strategy — will also help WorkInCulture to improve research and data collection in order to identify gaps, inform training development and deliver on current and future skills needs of the sector.
Investing in Ontario’s culture workforce is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
Quick Facts
- Ontario is investing $750,000 over three years in WorkInCulture.
- Strengthening the province’s culture workforce is a key commitment in Ontario’s first ever Culture Strategy, launched in July 2016.
- The culture sector adds over $25 billion to the Ontario economy and supports almost 280,000 jobs.
Additional Resources
- Learn more about WorkInCulture
- Learn more about Ontario’s Culture Strategy
- Learn more about Ontario’s Highly Skilled Workforce Strategy
Quotes
“I am delighted that our government is taking action through this investment to support Ontario’s culture workers in today’s knowledge economy. During the consultations for Ontario’s Culture Strategy, we heard about the need to strengthen the cultural workforce – and we are doing just that. This investment will see skills-training that is more evidence based, better coordinated and tailored to meet the specific needs of the culture sector and those who work in it.”
“Today’s announcement delivers on our government’s commitment to help people succeed in their careers and grow the economy. People are our most important resource. Today’s investment in WorkInCulture will help culture workers obtain the skills they need to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of a global digital economy. As our economy becomes more technology and knowledge based, a highly skilled workforce is a significant driver of Ontario’s competitiveness and prosperity.”
“I want to express my deep gratitude to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport for this new support and for the valuable recognition of the importance of culture. WorkInCulture exists to support Ontario’s artists, arts administrators, creative entrepreneurs and other professionals through life-long career development and entrepreneurial and business skills training. This funding will enable us to expand and enhance our research efforts to better understand the labour market and its training needs, gaps and priorities – to develop and deliver appropriate training and skills development opportunities and to serve as an information hub to connect the sector across the province.”
Diane Davy
“WorkInCulture is a great organization that understands the cultural sector and is connected to communities across the province. When it comes to training and skills development they understand that one size does not fit all. We look forward to continuing our relationship with WorkInCulture and seeing how they will further meet the training needs of the culture sector with this new support from the Government of Ontario.”
Lindsay Golds
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