Core Activities

Established in 2017 by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and administered by College of the North Atlantic, NL Workforce Innovation Centre (NLWIC) has a provincial mandate to provide a coordinated, central point of access to engage all labour market stakeholders about challenges, opportunities and best practices in workforce development. We do this through our six core activities.

NLWIC’s goal is to promote the research, testing and sharing of ideas and models of innovation in workforce development that will positively impact employability, employment and entrepreneurship within the province’s labour force and particularly underrepresented groups. Funding for NLWIC is provided by the Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills (IPGS) under the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Market Development Agreement.

Six Core Activities

Stakeholder Engagement

We engage a network of labour market stakeholders to facilitate idea exchange, identify research opportunities and share innovative approaches and best practices in workforce development.

Research Funding and Collaborations

We provide proposal-based funding for applied research projects that test innovative approaches to address Newfoundland and Labrador’s labour market challenges and opportunities and improve outcomes.

Regional Workforce Development Committees

These 10 Regional Workforce Development Committees are developing and implementing action plans to address workforce development needs specific to regions across the province. The Committees’ terms of reference include development and dissemination of labour market information, identifying priority focus areas for training and skills development and collaborative use of labour market programs and services, including immigration-related supports.

Economic Immigration-Focused Ideas Lab

This new social innovation lab within NLWIC will identify practical approaches to facilitate newcomer participation in the provincial labour market and stimulate innovation and leadership in newcomer recruitment and retention.

Workforce Innovation Dissemination

We provide labour market stakeholders and the public with the evidence-based findings from NLWIC-funded Research Projects and collaborations to inform new policy, programs and practices, and to promote replication and scale-up for an expanded, diverse and inclusive NL workforce.

Capacity Building

We help labour market stakeholders in the workforce development ecosystem develop and strengthen their workforce and adopt new practices arising from evidence produced from NLWIC’s core activities. We do this via training, information sessions, #tipoftheiceberg webinars and other capacity-building activities.