Connect with us

Technology

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

Published

on

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

Follow us on Twitter

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

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

PAVS Announces Pricing of a $10 Million Registered Direct Offering of Class A Ordinary Shares and Pre-Funded Warrants

Published

on

By

NEW YORK, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PAVS (NASDAQ:PAVS) (the “Company”), a consumer products and digital commerce solutions company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with certain institutional investors for a registered direct offering of an aggregate of 50,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or pre-funded warrants to purchase Class A ordinary shares in lieu thereof) at a purchase price of $0.20 per share. The gross proceeds to the Company from the offering are expected to be approximately $10 million, before deducting offering expenses.

The offering is expected to close on or about June 16, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for evaluating and pursuing strategic acquisition opportunities in the consumer products, wellness, fitness, lifestyle, and digital commerce sectors, and working capital and general corporate purposes.

A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to the Company.

The Class A ordinary shares (or pre-funded warrants to purchase Class A ordinary shares in lieu thereof) are being offered and sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in connection with a takedown from the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-291788), which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 3, 2025. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus which are a part of the effective registration statement. A prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the registered direct offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additionally, when available, electronic copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be obtained from A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, 590 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10022, or by telephone at (212) 624-2060, or by email at prospectus@allianceg.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About Paranovus Entertainment Technology Limited

Paranovus Entertainment Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: PAVS) is a consumer products and digital commerce solutions company. In March 2025, the Company completed the acquisition of the controlling equity interests of Bomie Wookoo Inc., a New York company that offers e-commerce solutions. As part of its strategic transformation, Paranovus has exited its legacy businesses, including the e-commerce, internet information, and advertising businesses in September 2023 and ceased its automobile sales business in July 2024.

For more information on our latest innovations and developments, visit https://www.pavs.ai/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company’s goals and strategies; the Company’s future business development; the Company’s future acquisition opportunities; the Company’s ability to identify any acquisition opportunities that fit with our business strategies; the Company’s ability to consummate an attractive acquisition and realize the benefits of such transaction; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pavs-announces-pricing-of-a-10-million-registered-direct-offering-of-class-a-ordinary-shares-and-pre-funded-warrants-302800663.html

SOURCE Paranovus Entertainment Technology Ltd

Continue Reading

Technology

New Cognizant Research Reveals $4.7 Trillion in Untapped AI Value Across G2000

Published

on

By

Organizations that pair mature technology infrastructure with a fundamentals-first AI investment strategy outperform laggards by 31% on composite outcomes—and could unlock trillions in unrealized value across the G2000

TEANECK, N.J., June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) today released new research showing that AI’s real-world results depend less on the technology itself than on the maturity of a company’s tech infrastructure and where it directs its investment. The companies getting this right are generating financial returns measurable in the billions.

The study, “Closing the AI Execution Gap: A $2 Billion Business Boost,” surveyed 1,100 senior business leaders at Global 2000 companies and 100 startups across 10 industries. Its central finding is stark: two-thirds of leaders have yet to demonstrate measurable business productivity gains from AI, and one in four have already paused or abandoned AI deployments—with an estimated average of $2 billion in unrealized cost savings and revenue opportunity.

The research identifies a clear set of behaviors that separates the top performers from the rest.

31% — The performance gap between the highest- and lowest-performing AI segments on composite outcomes.

$1B–$2B — Estimated annual returns available to a typical G2000 company that moves from the weakest to the strongest performing segment.

$4.7T — Total unrealized annual value across the G2000 when worker productivity, business productivity, revenue and cost reduction are included.

60% — How much more likely organizations with immature infrastructure and broad AI investment are to abandon a deployment versus those with the same infrastructure who invest in AI fundamentals first.

27% — Productivity advantage held by organizations with strong data foundations versus those still working to improve theirs.

“The evidence in this research could not be more direct: companies that build on a mature technology foundation and invest in AI fundamentals first are already generating billions in returns that their competitors are leaving on the table,” said Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S. “This is the AI Builder dividend and it is real, it is quantifiable, and it is widening. Two-thirds of organizations have yet to move the needle on business productivity from AI. That is not a capability gap in technology. That is an execution gap. Cognizant exists precisely to close it. We help companies do the work that unlocks AI value: strengthening compute infrastructure, building data foundations that AI can trust, and deploying the focused investment strategies that turn AI’s potential into verifiable, compounding returns.”

The research shows organizations can continue to improve their AI outcomes through building technical and data foundations, focusing investment strategies, and leveraging strong external partnerships where needed:

Organizations with focused AI investment strategies outperform their peers regardless of maturity level—even lower-maturity companies with a focused approach achieve an 11.4% composite outcome score, versus 9.7% for same-maturity peers investing broadlyCompute and data foundations are the most consequential infrastructure factors; just 19.9% of organizations rate their on-premises compute as excellent—and companies with excellent cloud compute outperform those with adequate ratings by 4.8 percentage points in worker productivity gainsData gaps are pervasive: 64.5% of organizations have at least one of five key data dimensions rated adequate or below; organizations with strong data foundations report nearly 27% higher productivity gains and are 20%+ less likely to abandon AI initiativesInfrastructure quality has a compounding effect on outcomes—organizations with all 10 infrastructure dimensions rated good or excellent achieve 15.6% average productivity gains; that drops to 14.1% with just one adequate dimension, and to 12.5% when any dimension needs improvementHigh-performing organizations are significantly more likely to work with external partners: 72–76% of focused-strategy companies engage outside expertise, compared to 54–60% of broad-investment peers

ABOUT COGNIZANT
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization’s unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at cognizant.ai or @cognizant. 

MEDIA CONTACT

Global Corporate Communications

Cognizant Technology Solutions

media@cognizant.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-cognizant-research-reveals-4-7-trillion-in-untapped-ai-value-across-g2000–302800666.html

SOURCE Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation

Continue Reading

Technology

Responsible AI Institute Launches TrustX for Finance to Bring Verifiable Trust to Autonomous AI in Financial Services

Published

on

By

New Autonomous Finance Initiative will help financial institutions classify, control, and verify autonomous AI systems before production deployment.

AUSTIN, Texas and NEW YORK and LONDON, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Responsible AI Institute, the world’s largest responsible AI non-profit and an independent organization with a decade of experience advancing trusted AI governance, today announced the launch of TrustX for Finance, a sector-specific assurance initiative designed to define how autonomous AI systems are evaluated, controlled, and approved for production in financial services.

RAI Institute launches TrustX Finance Working Group. Founding members: U.S. Bank · NatWest Group

As banks and financial institutions prepare to deploy AI systems that can initiate payments, execute workflows, and act with delegated authority, traditional AI governance is no longer sufficient. These systems do not simply generate recommendations; they can take action. Institutions need a consistent way to classify their risk, define their authority, enforce operating boundaries, and generate evidence that those controls hold in practice.

Across industries, AI is moving from advisory systems to agentic systems: software that does not simply generate outputs, but can plan, decide, and execute actions across enterprise environments. This shift is accelerating risk in two areas in particular. First, organizations are increasingly deploying AI through vendors and SaaS platforms, often without clear visibility into agent behavior, authority, tool access, or system reach. Second, frontier models with advanced coding, tool-use, and agentic capabilities are increasingly able to interact with internal tools and data through legitimate integration pathways. That access expands the potential blast radius when systems are misused, compromised, or misaligned.

TrustX for Finance provides a structured path to production by classifying AI systems based on autonomy, authority, reach, and persistence; applying controls proportional to risk; and producing audit-ready evidence for internal approval, external assurance, and regulatory review.

The initiative builds on the TrustX Health program launched in the United Kingdom in December 2025 with Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, the University of Cambridge’s Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Lab, and The King’s Fund. TrustX Health established a sector-specific pathway for safely verifying, testing, and monitoring agentic AI in health and care. TrustX for Finance extends that assurance model to financial services, where autonomous systems may initiate payments, execute transactions, and operate with delegated authority.

To address the full agentic AI surface, RAI Institute is expanding TrustX across three domains: Build, for internally developed and deployed agentic systems governed through Agent Risk Classification; Buy, for third-party and SaaS-based AI systems assessed through an AI Risk Procurement Framework; and Protect, for enterprise systems exposed to agentic AI through tool access, data access, and workflow integrations. Together, these domains reflect a core TrustX principle: governance must follow what AI systems are allowed to do, not just how they are built.

The Autonomous Finance Initiative will operate as a bank-led working group and hands-on program under TrustX for Finance. At the center of the initiative is a proving ground where participating institutions can test and validate autonomous AI systems in a controlled sandbox environment before production deployment, including systems that initiate payments, execute financial transactions, manage workflows, and operate within delegated authority limits.

Within this environment, institutions can:

Classify systems into defensible risk tiers based on autonomy, decision authority, execution scope, persistence, and enterprise reachApply controls proportional to risk, aligned to regulatory expectationsValidate system behavior against enforceable policies, constraints, and approval thresholdsAssess third-party and SaaS-based agentic AI systems beyond traditional vendor questionnairesIdentify enterprise systems exposed through AI tool access, data access, and workflow integrationsGenerate audit-ready evidence required for internal approval, external assurance, and regulatory reviewDemonstrate that systems operate within approved boundaries under real-world conditions

“Financial institutions cannot approve autonomous AI for production using governance models built for static systems,” said Manoj Saxena, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Responsible AI Institute. “As AI begins to initiate payments, execute workflows, and act with delegated authority, the industry needs a shared way to classify risk, enforce boundaries, and prove systems are operating as approved. TrustX for Finance establishes that foundation.”

“As consumers and businesses begin using AI systems that can act on their behalf, financial institutions need a common assurance framework,” said Dr Samuel Assefa, Senior Vice President and Head of AI Innovation & Solutions, AI Center of Excellence at U.S. Bank. “While we have strict controls in place to govern AI, preparing for new trends and the inevitable expansion of Agentic AI use cases is critical. Classification, controls, and independent verification will be essential to deploying these systems safely and responsibly.”

“”TrustX for Finance comes at a critical moment for our industry.”, said Dr. Paul Dongha, Head of Responsible AI & AI Strategy at NatWest Group “As financial services organizations begin deploying agentic AI, we must move quickly but responsibly — assessing the risks of this powerful new technology, embedding robust controls before deployment, and proving those controls hold in production.”

Initial workstreams will focus on autonomous commerce and payments, where AI systems are already beginning to take action on behalf of users, institutions, and ecosystem partners. Participating organizations will collaborate on real-world use cases while testing systems against shared assurance criteria for risk classification, delegated authority, tool access, runtime behavior, auditability, and control effectiveness.

Central to TrustX for Finance is the TrustX Open AI Registry — an openly licensed governance core that makes working group outputs inspectable and reusable across the sector. The registry provides a shared schema, risk classification logic, agent blueprints, and policy and controls. The Public Edition will be free and openly available. Working group members receive early access to new blueprints, peer benchmarking data, and finance-specific implementations as they are developed.

For more information on TrustX for Finance and the Autonomous Finance Initiative, visit https://www.responsible.ai/trustx-finance/

About the Responsible AI Institute

The Responsible AI Institute is the world’s largest responsible AI non-profit and an independent organization with a decade of experience advancing practical governance and assurance systems for AI deployment across regulated industries. RAI Institute is vendor-neutral, standards-aligned, and supported by a global community of enterprises, researchers, policymakers, and responsible AI practitioners.

Through TrustX, RAI Institute enables organizations to define, control, and prove how AI systems operate before they impact real-world outcomes.

Media Contact:
news@responsible.ai

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/responsible-ai-institute-launches-trustx-for-finance-to-bring-verifiable-trust-to-autonomous-ai-in-financial-services-302800668.html

SOURCE Responsible AI Institute

Continue Reading

Trending