Biotalent Canada: New Project Helps Canadians With Disabilities Land A Job In Biotechnology

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new project, funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities (OF) program, has been launched by BioTalent Canada, and will provide over $1 million in wage subsidies over the next three years to assist 90 Canadians with disabilities land a job in the country’s biotechnology industry.

“This initiative will assist people with disabilities who may have not yet considered a career in Canada’s bio-economy, and at the same time, make it easier for small and medium-sized employers to take them on as new hires.”

The OF program is meant to assist Canadians with disabilities to prepare for, obtain and keep employment, to help them participate fully in the economy and increase their independence.

BioTalent Canada, a national non-profit HR association, has a long track record of successful implementation of federal wage-subsidy programs, helping new talent gain employment in biotech and assisting companies in offsetting the costs of hiring. In November of 2015, the organization announced the successful placement of 165 new biotechnology graduates in Canadian biotechnology companies.

This most recent project was conceived as a result of data uncovered in the organization’s 2013 labour market report, Sequencing the Data, which indicated that only 7.6% of bio-economy companies had persons with disabilities on staff, a figure well below other industries.

This new federal wage-subsidy project will enable BioTalent Canada to address the low employment of persons with disabilities in biotech by introducing a wage subsidy to off-set the start-up costs of orientation, integration and skills development.

“Access to capital and skilled talent remain the two top challenges for the biotech sector,” said Rob Henderson, President and CEO of BioTalent Canada. “This initiative will assist people with disabilities who may have not yet considered a career in Canada’s bio-economy, and at the same time, make it easier for small and medium-sized employers to take them on as new hires.”

Through Career Focus, another federal wage-subsidy initiative geared towards new graduates, BioTalent Canada successfully placed 165 new graduates at over 67 biotechnology companies across Canada in 2015 alone. This new initiative is a continuation of BioTalent Canada’s work connecting skilled talent with job opportunities.

About BioTalent Canada
BioTalent Canada is the HR partner of Canada’s bio-economy. As an HR expert and national non-profit organization, BioTalent Canada focuses on building partnerships and skills for Canada’s bio-economy to ensure the industry has access to job-ready people. Through projects, research, and product development, BioTalent Canada connects employers with job seekers, delivers human resource information, and skills development tools so the industry can focus on strengthening Canada’s biotech business. For more information, please visit biotalent.ca.