$2.6 M to Train Junior Software Testers
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – The federal government is providing $2.6 million to Professional Aboriginal Testing Organization Inc. (PLATO) to support its Sault Ste. Marie facility. The funding will help train Indigenous people as software testing technicians and create 76 new jobs.
The move is expected to assist business owners filling the skilled labour shortage, engaging Indigenous people into the economy and meeting the recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation, says Sault MP Terry Sheehan. The FedNor funding will allow PLATO to train Indigenous people to develop and deliver software and system testing solutions to clients in Sault Ste. Marie and across the globe. “This is a really exciting project,” Sheehan said while making the announcement at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon. The money will help various businesses, including OLG and Algoma Steel, by in part training their team.
PLATO was established in 2015 as a result of its founders identifying a talent shortage in Canada and the need to utilize Indigenous and Metis people by training them for today’s workforce. Its goal is to train 1,000 software testers in 20 Canadian cities, including Sault Ste. Marie. With the establishment of PLATO in Sault Ste. Marie last year, 15 individuals were enrolled in the junior software tester training, with an 80 per cent success rate. About the same number are currently interning at local companies for an eight week period and those who complete the training and internship successfully will get full-time employment with PLATO Testing after that work period is complete. With the funding, PLATO will be able to increase the number of skilled software testers and information technology professionals in Northern Ontario and address training and underemployment challenges faced by Indigenous groups across the region. “This is an important investment in the Indigenous peoples of Northern Ontario that will help generate new business opportunities, support innovation and create well-paying jobs throughout the region,” Sheehan said.
