Grey County is preparing to help local people affected by the economic downturn.
At Tuesday’s County Council meeting, Blue Mountains Deputy Mayor Duncan McKinlay introduced a motion to explore job training and employment opportunities.
McKinlay says he began thinking about the issue when many friends in their 30s, most working in the auto industry, began to hit trouble.
He says now is a good time for the County to look into what could be done for people looking for work – and so be prepared if upper levels of government decide to take action.
While the process is in the very initial stages – McKinlay hopes that eventually something could be developed where county veterans provide teaching and training.
He says with 800 people working for the county, there’s a lot of valuable knowledge that could be shared.
McKinlay says jobs that benefit from field experience and co-op placement range from machine operators to clerical staff to mechanics – all of which can be found at the County.
McKinlay also hopes a partnership is developed with Georgian College, to match the field work with classroom learning.
McKinlay says it would be a win win situation, with the County helping its citizens get work or improve their credentials, while in return getting the opportunity to then hire those skilled workers.
McKinlay’s motion passed and County CAO Gary Wood has been directed to compile a report for the Finance and Personnel Committe.
