From March 13th to 15th, Heather Graham [1] (MSc Rural Planning and Development student) and Dr. Ryan Gibson attended the 26th Annual Metropolis Canada Conference [2] in Montréal, Québec. They had the opportunity to present their poster, titled, "Innovative Workforce Strategies for Engaging Newcomers in Rural Ontario." The poster highlights the results of a survey they had completed in Fall 2023, which asked workforce planning boards and Community Futures Development Corporations in Ontario to share workforce insights from their regions. The results of this survey outlined several innovative workforce strategies that had been attempted or successfully integrated into rural communities, including employment services and training programs to support the attraction, retention, and integration of newcomers, immigrants and refugees. More information on this research initiative can be found on the Rural Development website [3].  

Image:  Ryan Gibson and Heather Graham standing by their poster presentation.