NORDIK Institute has secured $66,742 in funding from the Ministry of Rural Affairs’ Rural Ontario Development Program to lead a new project examining how newcomers’ skills and qualifications can be better matched with local workforce needs in Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding rural communities.
The one-year initiative, called Bridging Labour Market Gaps: Building Workforce Readiness for Newcomers in Northern Ontario, is also receiving partial funding from the DeScide Lab at Algoma University. The project will look at how newcomers’ education, qualifications, skills, and work experience can contribute to local workforce development, while also studying the employment barriers and service gaps newcomers face and the staffing challenges reported by area employers.
Understanding Local Talent and Employer Needs
According to NORDIK Institute, the project will work with local partners, employers, service providers, and newcomer communities to build a clearer picture of the region’s labour market. Planned activities include assessing the pool of available newcomer talent, identifying local employer and workforce needs, pinpointing barriers newcomers face in finding employment, developing a skill-based labour market dashboard, and producing strategies aimed at improving newcomer employment and workforce development.
Tamanna Rimi, Director of Research at NORDIK Institute, said newcomers bring valuable skills, education, and experience to Northern Ontario, but that communities do not always have detailed local information about those strengths or about the barriers that can prevent newcomers’ qualifications from being fully recognized.
Survey Set to Launch in Coming Weeks
One of the project’s first major public activities will be the Sault Newcomer Survey 2026, expected to launch in the coming weeks. The survey will invite newcomers living in Sault Ste. Marie to share information about their skills, employment experiences, needs, and goals, feeding directly into the project’s research on local workforce gaps.
The project is being carried out with support from a range of local organizations, including the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Sault Community Career Centre, Algoma Workforce Investment Corporation, Sault College Employment Services, Superior Adult Learning, Northland Adult Learning Centre, Community Builders, and the Sault Ste. Marie and Area Local Immigration Partnership, alongside the DeScide Lab at Algoma University.
NORDIK Institute said it will share further details about the Sault Newcomer Survey 2026 and additional opportunities for newcomers, employers, and community organizations to get involved as the project moves forward.
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