Government of Canada Support Careers in Transportation

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities today announced the official release of the Western Transportation Advisory Council's (WESTAC) youth-oriented "Careers in Transportation" website,TranspoCity/TranspoVille, which was funded through two contribution agreements with Transport Canada.

"Canada's transportation system will not continue to thrive if it does not attract our youth," said Minister Cannon. "This funding demonstrates the new Government of Canada's commitment to advancing and promoting transportation-related skills — with particular emphasis on youth who are in the process of making education and career decisions."

Through these two contribution agreements, Transport Canada has provided a total of $120,000 to WESTAC for the development, translation, implementation and enhancement of the TranspoCity/TranspoVille website

The website, designed for Canadian youth, highlights the variety of interesting careers in demand in today's transportation industry. The site is interactive, educational and provides information on transportation careers. The funding will expand the scope of the website to make it more appealing to both French and English speaking audiences and to include information about several additional transportation careers.

"All the same bells and whistles that made the original version so successful are also available on the new site," says Ruth Sol, WESTAC president. "TranspoCity.ca allows this to be a truly national initiative; it also highlights a broad array of opportunities in transportation that require different levels of education and training."

This project meets the objectives of the Government of Canada's Innovation Strategy for skills development, which is designed to help build a first-class workforce

The website contains extensive information on the diverse types of jobs in transportation, including: pay scales; education and training requirements; links to educational and training programs; career paths; and interviews with young people working in the transportation industry.

The original TranspoCity website was launched in May 2005, and, according to February 2006 statistics, receives approximately 75,000 hits per month.

For more information on TranspoCity/TranspoVille, please visit www.transpocity.ca.