Loyalist College launches free webinar series to help displaced workers

Belleville, Ontario, June 3, 2020 – Loyalist College Training and Knowledge Centre, in partnership with Trenval Business Development Corporation, has designed a unique webinar series to help unemployed or underemployed individuals in the Bay of Quinte region build resiliency and transferable skills for entrepreneurship, self-employment and/or remote work. The free webinar series was developed in response to regional job losses resulting from COVID-19-related non-essential business closures. In April, Ontario unemployment reached 11 percent, up 48 percent from March, according to Statistics Canada. Losses continued to be more rapid in jobs with less security and pay.

“For those suffering job loss or reduced hours in the Bay of Quinte region, Loyalist College is here to help you get back on your feet and find hope for the future,” said Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, Loyalist College President and CEO. “These webinars are an excellent starting point from which to consider your current skillset and how you may use it to start a new business or enhance an existing one. We care about you and want to empower you to create career opportunities in emerging post-pandemic markets as our region recovers. Thank you to our partner Trenval, and to the Government of Ontario, through which this program is funded.”

The six-part Displaced Workers Series runs every Thursday from 1 to 2:30 pm between June 4 and July 9 and will cover the following topics:

• Understanding Entrepreneurship
• Remote Work and Productivity
• Business Development for the Micro-Entrepreneur
• Self-Care & Mental Health and Working from Home
• Understand and Leverage Your Skills
• Managing Money as a Micro Business

In addition, Loyalist and Trenval are also offering a free Small Business Series for small business owners and employees during the same dates from 10 to 11:30 am. Among the hardest hit Canadian businesses are small companies, those with fewer than 20 employees, who have laid off 30 percent of their workers, according to Statistics Canada. The webinars will cover:

• Redefining the Brick & Mortar – The New Way of Retail
• Finding Humanity in Remote Working Environments
• Evolution of the Consumer Pre-Present-Post COVID-19
• Mental Health in your Business
• Successfully Navigating Social Media during COVID-19
• The New Norms for Business Post-COVID-19

For more information and to register, visit loyalisttraining.com.

About Loyalist College
Loyalist is Ontario’s Destination College, empowering students, faculty, staff, and partners through experiential, industry cluster-based education, training and applied research programs. The College provides job-ready graduates for, and knowledge transfer to, industry and the community. Of 2017-18 Loyalist graduates, 88.5 percent were employed within six months after graduation. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, the College is perfectly positioned between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Loyalist offers more than 70 full-time diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs in biosciences, building sciences, business, community service, health and wellness, media studies, public safety, and skilled trades. Continuing education options are available through LoyalistFocus.com, including hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses, and through the College’s 100+ university transfer agreements. Loyalist is a key driver of social and economic health in eastern Ontario. It contributes 5.8 percent of the Gross Regional Product, representing $465 million annually to the regional economy – based on an October 2018 report by Emsi. For more information on Loyalist’s Belleville and Bancroft campuses and Port Hope satellite location, visit YoureGoingPlaces.com.

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Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director, Marketing, Communications and Recruitment
Loyalist College, klorimer@loyalistcollege.com, 613-969-1913, ext. 2536