For Immediate Release
October 10, 2023

econext has formed a partnership with Marine Institute’s The Launch and the Town of Holyrood to inform job seekers on emerging opportunities in the green/blue economy.

“Our program has a number of components,” said Ogaga Johnson, econext‘s Director of Workforce Development. “The centerpiece of our work is the demonstration of the technologies and services of businesses that are active right here in Newfoundland and Labrador’s blue/green economy.”

Johnson said that the demonstration activities will give 180 job seekers, especially those from underrepresented groups, a chance to see firsthand the exciting and innovative work that companies are doing to understand and reduce environmental impacts on the environment.

Other program components will help meet emerging training needs by developing a plan for the Town of Holyrood to take advantage of evolving workforce needs and raise awareness about the job opportunities with the blue/green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Newfoundland and Labrador has immense expertise providing ocean technology solutions,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “As the world pivots to the fight against climate change, these companies are well positioned to play a role in that. This program will allow the project partners to understand those green training needs and develop programs to apply them in the blue or ocean context,” said Hanley, noting that the project would benefit econext members, The Launch, the Town of Holyrood, and job seekers.

“We believe this initiative is a huge step in achieving our goal” said Mayor Gary Goobie “Our goal is to establish a cold ocean research and innovation hub, allowing companies and institutions to complete research, analyze data, and develop products to further enhance the global ocean industry while providing economic opportunities and growth in the region”.

The Town of Holyrood strategically established the Oceans Holyrood Initiative (OHI) to enable those engaged in ocean-related activities to have access to cold, clean water to develop technologies and techniques that positively affect the ocean sector.

Mayor Gary Goobie further said “Together with our partners econext and the Marine Institute, the Town of Holyrood is excited by the potential this project holds to bring our Town closer to realizing its goal of ensuring sustainability and growth for the future.”

“The Marine Institute is proud to collaborate with econext on this exciting project that will bring together NL’s Ocean tech community, training providers, and community organizations to create inclusive workforce development opportunities in the blue and green economies.” said Kelley Santos, Director of The Launch. Santos said that the Marine Institute’s Ocean innovation centre, The Launch, located in the Town of Holyrood, will provide access to workspaces, technology, vessels, and technical support for ten local oceans companies to “demonstrate their technology and provide training opportunities for their teams, collectively strengthening our capacity to sustainably manage our oceans from right here in NL.”

Matthew Grimes, Director of Business Development and Research at Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University said “econext’s mandate to support environmental technology and innovation is closely aligned with the Fisheries and Marine Institute’s work to foster economic development in ocean-related sectors. The Fisheries and Marine Institute has extensive experience in responding to industry needs and delivering community-based education and training. Through this partnership with econext, we can do even more to support Newfoundland and Labrador’s growing ocean and green economies.”

“The Government of Canada invests in economic diversification to help communities thrive and create new opportunities for people. This funding will help ensure that communities are driving their economic future while helping workers to develop the skills they need to get the jobs they want,” said Canada’s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault.

Information on upcoming events on October 12, 17, 19, and 24 can be found here. For partnership, inquiries, or more information about the program, please contact Ogaga Johnson at ogaga@econext.ca.

About econext
econext is a not-for-profit association that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador, working on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development.

About The Launch
The Launch is the Marine Institute’s and Memorial University’s Ocean Innovation Centre, a state-of-the-art living lab that provides access to the world’s harshest cold-ocean environments and supports the development of ocean technology through R&D, testing, and demonstration to prove its real-world readiness. Users can train for safety and survival and operate technologies in conditions that accurately reflect those faced in the field. Developed by world-leading experts at Memorial University’s Marine Institute, The Launch provides the ultimate “proving waters” to put equipment, people, and ideas to the ultimate test.

About the Town of Holyrood
The Town of Holyrood is located on Canada’s east coast, making it the ideal location for all ocean-related industries. With access to some of the coldest waters in the world, a pristine harbour with world-class research facilities, and ample land and real estate available for development, Holyrood is the place to be.

This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Community Workforce Development Program.

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