The provincial government is offering some help to people on social assistance or with prior criminal records to get a good-paying job.

An additional 160 million dollars will go to the Skills Development Fund to help with training or develop new programs.

Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton says there are thousands on social assistance wanting to work.

“This includes hundreds of thousands of people who made a mistake in the past and carry a criminal record, almost half of whom are on social assistance even 15 years after release. These are men and women who might have made a mistake and who want to put in an honest shift. They just need a hand up and a second chance,” says McNaughton.

McNaughton says many people have been historically forgotten within the labour force and treated as second class.

With the province in the middle of a historic labour shortage, he says every effort must be taken to help anyone who wants a job and a paycheque they can be proud of.

He adds the new funding helps train about 100 thousand people.

“This year, we are prioritizing programs that propose innovative training solutions to help people on social assistance and those with prior criminal records find meaningful employment in critical sectors like healthcare, auto manufacturing, IT hospitality, and the skilled trades.”

This is the fourth round of funding the province has applied to the Skills Development Fund.

Through the first three rounds, almost 600 projects were created that helped half a million people take the next step in their careers.

The Skills Development Fund is open to employment service and training providers, labour unions, community, business and industry organizations, municipalities, hospitals, Indigenous Band offices, Indigenous skills and employment training agreement holders and service system managers.