Toronto, Ontario — The Ontario government is investing an additional $16.5 million in the Black Youth Action Plan (BYAP) to help support Black youth in high-demand trades sectors.
Specifically, the donated funds will go towards continuing to support more than 20 community-based and culturally-focused organizations with a proven track record of empowering Black children and families. The funds will be used to promote Black youth and young professionals to start or accelerate their careers in areas such as the skilled trades, information technology, automotive, health, film and the arts.
To date, the BYAP’s Economic Empowerment Stream has supported programs in a variety of fields like the Accelerate Auto program, a Mississauga-based not-for-profit that helps to create a more diverse workforce in Ontario’s automotive sector.
Accelerate Auto spans various sectors across the automotive industry, including manufacturers, dealerships, industry associations and suppliers. The goal of the organization is to showcase Black talent to give individuals opportunities for careers and career advancement.
According to Christopher Nabeta, Executive Chair, Founding Member, Accelerate Auto “the mission of Accelerate Auto is to drive change and eliminate barriers so the next generations of Black talent in Ontario are better positioned to pursue successful careers in Canada’s auto industry. The support from Ontario’s Black Youth Action Plan’s Economic Empowerment Stream helped us do just that.”
