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Call for Proposals: Investing in Green and Innovative Union Training for Thousands of Tradespeople

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GATINEAU, QC, June 21, 2024 /CNW/ – Canadian tradespeople are working hard to ensure Canada wins the global race for economic opportunity, as we advance towards net-zero while also charting a path to sustainably building over 3.8 million new homes by 2031. The Government of Canada is investing to ensure our workforce is ready to help build these homes, clean power plants, electric vehicles, and much more.

Today, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, alongside Ministers Wilkinson and O’Regan, launched a call for proposals under the new Sustainable Jobs Stream of the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy’s Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP). An investment of over $95 million over five years will help unions and their partners provide green training to approximately 20,000 apprentices and journeypersons. This call for proposals will be open until September 5, 2024.

As part of this funding, a separate agreement with the Government of Quebec will support the Province in implementing a program that accounts for the unique features of Quebec’s apprenticeship system. The activities funded in Quebec will align with those delivered elsewhere in Canada.

Through this investment, tradespeople will be better equipped to keep pace with the job skills that are in high demand, as industries shift to low-carbon alternatives, and global partners seek to buy Canadian clean technologies. This call for proposals complements the investment in the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund, which support tens of thousands of workers to upgrade or gain new skills for jobs in the low-carbon economy.

The UTIP Sustainable Jobs Stream is part of a new focus under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy to respond to the skilled trades workforce’s most pressing needs, including addressing barriers to successful entry, supporting progression and completion of apprenticeship, addressing the housing crisis, and increasing net-zero construction to unlock Canada’s economic potential.

To help address the growing need for skilled trades workers, Budget 2024 announced the Government’s intention to deliver a historic $90 million investment for the Apprenticeship Service to support small and medium-sized employers in creating placements for apprentices and $10 million for the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program to encourage Canadians to explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades.

The Government of Canada invests nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship supports through grants, loans, tax credits, Employment Insurance benefits during in-school training, project funding, and support for the Red Seal program to help build a robust skilled trades workforce for the future that is inclusive, certified and productive.

As part of the Government of Canada’s Sustainable Jobs Plan, today’s call for proposals under the Union Training and Innovation Program represents a vital contribution to a suite of measures that is unlocking Canadian leadership in growing low-carbon industries, and creating good-paying, sustainable jobs from coast to coast to coast. 

Quotes

Skilled tradespeople carry out crucial work to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in the Sustainable Jobs Stream will help thousands of workers across Canada develop the skills needed for green jobs – meaning more work for Canadians and a lower carbon footprint for the country.”
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, The Honourable Randy Boissonnault

“Canadian workers and industries are seizing economic opportunities as we build thriving low-carbon industries and more sustainable communities. This call for proposals under the Union Training and Innovation Program will contribute to Canada’s Sustainable Jobs plan while equipping more Canadian tradespeople with the skills and supports they need to build a more prosperous and sustainable future for Canada.”
– Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

“There are so many new jobs and new opportunities in Canadian energy. Workers want in. They’re ready to lead the world and build Canada’s prosperous future. With training led by workers themselves, they will.”
– Minister of Labour and Seniors, The Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr

Quick Facts

The UTIP Sustainable Jobs Stream and the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund are part of Canada’s comprehensive sustainable jobs approach, as outlined in the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act and interim Sustainable Jobs Plan for 2023–2025, which guides Canada’s efforts to move to a net-zero emissions economy.Bill C-50, the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act has now received Royal Assent, paving the way for workers, industries, Indigenous peoples and other Canadians to engage with Canada’s Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council and Secretariat in the development of the 2025 Sustainable Jobs Action Plan. This historic legislation holds current and future governments accountable while charting a path for Canadian workers to thrive and succeed on the path to a more sustainable and prosperous future.Some examples of industries where tradespeople with green training are required include in low-carbon building construction, clean energy deployment, and across the zero-emission vehicles and battery supply chain. Home retrofits and new builds increasingly require construction workers to be equipped with specialized skills to work on energy efficient high-performing buildings. Automotive service technicians need skills to work with electric and hybrid vehicles.According to a Canadian Labour Congress and Pembina Institute report, clean energy jobs could make up approximately 10% of employment, or a total of 2 million direct and indirect jobs, in a 2050 net-zero scenario.The Royal Bank of Canada estimates that building a net-zero-emissions economy could create up to 400,000 new jobs in Canada by the end of this decade alone.According to data from the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform, more than half of apprentices in Red Seal trades in Canada in 2021 worked in the construction sector, the majority of which contributed to the construction of homes.BuildForce Canada’s data suggests the residential construction sector will be short 41,200 workers over the next 10 years.According to a 2022 Royal Bank report, approximately 40% of new jobs in the trades, transport and equipment occupations will need an enhanced skillset.

Associated Links

UTIP Sustainable Jobs Stream – Apply for funding
About the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy
About the Union Training and Innovation Program
Sustainable Jobs Training Fund
Sustainable Jobs – Natural Resources Canada
Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan
Budget 2024
Canada.ca/skilled-trades

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Backgrounder

Union Training and Innovation Program – Sustainable Jobs Stream

The Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) is delivered under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, which aims to support a trade workforce that is skilled, inclusive, certified and productive. UTIP supports union-based apprenticeship training, innovation and enhanced partnerships in the Red Seal trades.

The new Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) Sustainable Jobs Stream supports the Government’s Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act and interim 2023-2025 Sustainable Jobs Plan and will invest $95 million over five years to fund projects that support unions in leading the development of green training for workers in the trades.

Projects will: 

develop and deliver green training for journeypersons and apprentices in the Red Seal trades that will help to reduce Canada’s emissions, enhance partnerships in the Red Seal trades to support a robust trade and apprenticeship ecosystem in Canada. 

Green training aims to:

support the development of knowledge, competencies and experience needed to enable environmental sustainability of economic activities;contribute to reducing pollution;contribute to natural resources conservation; or,support sustainable and resource-efficient projects.

Green training can include: 

technical knowledge and skills that are specialized and specific, often required to perform new tasks or jobs as a result of changes in greener technologies, practices, or standards. For example, skills to install and maintain heat pumps.knowledge of environmental sustainability concepts, systems, processes, or practices, such as environmental regulations, resource-efficient production processes and systems, environmental awareness, or waste management, to support the application and adaptation of current trade activities, skills, and knowledge. For example, industrial Mechanics (Millwrights) will gain knowledge on renewable energy systems, such as hydroelectric generation plants or wind turbines, to install, repair, and maintain equipment.

As part of this funding, a separate agreement with the Government of Quebec (in French only)  will support the Province in implementing a program that accounts for the unique features of Quebec’s apprenticeship system. The activities funded in Quebec will align with those delivered elsewhere in Canada.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

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Zifo Transforms Ontology Engineering with AI-Powered Intelligent Automation

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Advanced AI solution speeds up ontology creation by 80%, generating structured, interoperable knowledge models for science-driven organizations.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, England, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zifo, the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations, has developed an Intelligent Automation solution for Ontology Engineering, which is designed to seamlessly generate structured, interoperable knowledge models while accelerating ontology creation by 80%.

Overcoming the Bottlenecks of Manual Ontology Creation

Manual ontology creation in the biopharma industry has traditionally been a time-consuming process that requires specialized expertise. Organizations frequently struggle with semantic ambiguity, complex integration challenges, and limited scalability, resulting in workflows that can take weeks to complete. Zifo’s AI-powered automation tackles these challenges head-on by eliminating 80% of the manual work through automated class generation, description creation, and precise IRI mapping.

Addressing the Complexities of Semantic Knowledge

Developing comprehensive knowledge models often demands deep domain expertise to define relationships and align terminology. Zifo’s intelligent solution overcomes this by providing an AI-guided workflow featuring an intuitive interface, meaning specialized ontology engineering knowledge is no longer required. By leveraging LLM-powered generation, the solution creates precise definitions with a deep understanding of domain-specific context, while generating standardized synonyms and establishing controlled vocabulary alignment to eliminate inconsistent terminology.

A Solution Designed for Scalable Scientific Data Modeling

The AI-powered solution addresses critical format compatibility and integration points in ontology management:

Seamless Integration: Automated mapping connects directly to established ontologies, including NCIT, CHEBI, OBI, and EFO, via BioPortal and OLS APIs.Massive Scalability: Parallel processing and batch operations empower teams to execute large-scale ontology projects without performance limitations.Automated Hierarchies: The AI autonomously generates semantic relationships and parent-child hierarchies based on domain context and predefined relation vocabularies.Format Compatibility: The solution produces direct OWL/RDF exports with proper URIs, ensuring seamless downstream integration.

Unique Features include:

Multi-Source Integration: The solution combines BioPortal, OLS, and EMBL-EBI APIs to guarantee comprehensive ontology coverage.Intelligent Ranking System: The system uses AI-powered relevance scoring and justification for precise ontology mappings.Precise IRI Mapping: It ensures that each generated class is linked to the correct IRI, directly promoting semantic web compatibility.Human-in-the-Loop Design: The solution automates repetitive tasks while maintaining vital expert oversight.End-to-End Workflow: Users are guided through a complete pipeline, from initial domain knowledge input straight to exportable OWL files.Visual Knowledge Graph: An interactive graph visualization allows for intuitive relationship exploration and validation.Multi-Format Exports: Provides seamless export options in CSV, OWL, or HTML Ontograph formats for downstream use, collaboration, and visualization.

Strategic Value Across the Scientific Chain

This solution breaks down the traditional barriers of data structuring. Built on a robust backend of Python, LangChain, and leading LLM models, alongside a frontend framework using Next.js 15 and Cytoscape.js for graph visualization, the solution is highly adaptable. Furthermore, future optimization enhancements will include provisions for uploading user-defined classes or semi-ready ontologies.

About Zifo

Zifo is the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations. With expertise spanning research, development, manufacturing, and clinical domains, Zifo serves a diverse range of industries including Pharma, Biotech, Chemicals, Food and Beverage, and more. Trusted by over 190 organizations worldwide, Zifo is the partner of choice for advancing digital scientific innovation.

For more information, visit www.zifornd.comhttps://zifornd.com/practical-ai-blueprints/

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2731415/Zifo_Technologies_Logo.jpg

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zifo-transforms-ontology-engineering-with-ai-powered-intelligent-automation-302758975.html

SOURCE Zifo Technologies

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UNC-Chapel Hill establishes ‘Carolina in the Capital’ with new Washington, D.C. office

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has opened a new office in Washington, D.C., establishing an expanded presence for the University in the nation’s capital and creating exciting opportunities for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Located at 101 Constitution Avenue NW, the 10,861-square-foot space – coined “Carolina in the Capital” – will support a variety of functions, including educational programming for undergraduate and graduate students, alumni relations and engagement with government partners.

As a leading R1 university, UNC-Chapel Hill annually attracts more than $1.6 billion to the state’s economy to fund research that creates a better quality of life for all its citizens. More than 60% of UNC-Chapel Hill’s total research funding comes from federal sponsors with the majority of that federal funding coming from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is based in the Washington area.

“Carolina in the Capital is a state-of-the-art facility that reflects our commitment to creating experiential learning opportunities for our students and faculty,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “The space is designed as an immersive learning environment where students can translate classroom knowledge into hands-on experience, which has never been more important. The facility also strengthens our ability to support engagement between our staff, alumni, policymakers and partners.”

Supporting students participating in Carolina’s Washington-based academic programs is a priority. For years, students and faculty have relied on temporary or borrowed spaces across the city. The new office provides a permanent home where students can gather, learn and build community while living and studying in Washington. A robust schedule of classes and events will fill the space throughout the year.

The Washington, D.C. region is home to the largest concentration of out-of-state Carolina alumni anywhere in the country. The new office creates a dedicated space to strengthen those connections and support networking, mentorship, professional development and community-building among D.C.-based Tar Heels.

The space will also serve as a platform to bring Carolina’s research and academic expertise into closer conversation with policymakers, industry leaders and member organizations. Carolina is the nation’s 11th largest university in the country based on research volume with primary federal funding coming from NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF), both based in the D.C. area. Carolina is a proud member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities (APLU), which are both based in Washington.

The office is funded entirely through the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation and does not use any state appropriations.

You can view additional photos of the space here.

Media Contact: UNC Media Relations, 919-445-8555, mediarelations@unc.edu

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unc-chapel-hill-establishes-carolina-in-the-capital-with-new-washington-dc-office-302758250.html

SOURCE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Office of Communications

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Investing.com Acquires Stonki to Accelerate Its Entry into the Agentic AI Era

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The acquisition strengthens Investing.com’s AI capabilities, advancing a next-generation research assistant that can analyze markets, generate insights, and guide investors in real time

NEW YORK, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Investing.com, one of the world’s largest financial platforms used by more than 60 million investors each month, today announced the acquisition of Stonki, an AI-powered investing assistant designed to help traders turn ideas into structured, actionable trading plans.

The move marks a major step in the company’s evolution toward agentic AI, strengthening its ability to deliver faster, deeper, and more actionable market insights to a growing base of more than 300,000 paying subscribers across its InvestingPro suite, the company’s premium subscription offering for advanced market data, tools, and AI-driven insights.

Over the past 12 months, nearly 3 million users have used WarrenAI, Investing.com’s AI-powered financial research assistant launched last year, to perform market analysis, making AI a central entry point into the platform’s ecosystem. With the addition of Stonki, the company is moving beyond traditional AI tools toward agentic systems that can proactively guide users through the investment process.

“We’re entering the age of agentic AI, where the technology moves beyond just answering questions to actively helping investors think, analyze, and act,” said Omer Shvili, CEO of Investing.com. “Bringing Stonki.ai into the fold accelerates our goal of building an agentic platform that will serve as a 24/7 analyst for our users. We are developing this to be more than just a tool; it will be a partner that identifies opportunities, tracks unfolding situations, and surfaces trade ideas even when the user isn’t active—giving our users the kind of edge that was previously only available to professional investors.”

Founded in 2025, Stonki is developing a new category of ‘agentic’ AI for investing, enabling users to turn investment ideas into fully defined strategies with entry and exit conditions, risk management rules, and continuous monitoring.

“We started Stonki because, as investors and traders ourselves, we knew how much time and focus it takes to stay on top of the market and properly manage a day trade, a swing trade, an investment idea, or a portfolio,” said Ulas Bilgenoglu and Itay Verkh, co-founders of Stonki. “We set out to build AI that could carry part of that load by continuously monitoring the market, turning ideas into structured strategies, and helping users make better decisions with clear entry and exit conditions, disciplined risk management, and ongoing tracking. Joining Investing.com gives us the scale, data, reach, and strong AI foundation to accelerate that vision. Together, we can create an experience where AI helps users stay ahead of the market, manage risk, and act with greater confidence.”

The acquisition expands Investing.com’s AI capabilities across both technical and fundamental investing workflows. Stonki’s technology is built around persistent, real-time intelligence, continuously monitoring markets, tracking user-defined strategies, and alerting investors when conditions align, rather than relying on one-off prompts or static analysis.

For active traders, the platform is evolving into a real-time analysis engine designed to support high-frequency decision-making with precision and speed. For long-term investors, it is becoming a central hub for research, enabling users to evaluate opportunities, set personalized alerts, and monitor portfolios based on their individual investment strategies.

Users will be able to define specific conditions, such as a stock crossing a long-term moving average, and have the AI continuously monitor the market, analyze relevant signals, and surface actionable insights in real time. The system will also review portfolios on an ongoing basis, helping investors avoid potential losses and uncover new opportunities aligned with their strategy.

This latest step builds on Investing.com’s broader strategy of expanding its AI-powered suite, including WarrenAI, ProPicks AI, and its recently launched AI Chart Analysis, all aimed at delivering faster, more accurate and more actionable insights to investors.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/investingcom-acquires-stonki-to-accelerate-its-entry-into-the-agentic-ai-era-302756588.html

SOURCE Investing.com

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