The federal government announced an annual investment of $4.725 million on Monday to support the training and development of over 20,000 IT professionals within Canada’s public service. The funding, allocated to the newly established IT Community Training and Development Fund, will focus on upskilling federal IT workers in critical areas of digital service delivery and technology solutions.
Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Transport, said the fund reflects a commitment to “building digital talent to deliver best-in-class services to Canadians in the digital age.” Anand emphasized that the initiative is part of a larger strategy to future-proof the public service by fostering in-house technical expertise.
The fund, launched in collaboration with the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) as part of the latest collective bargaining agreement with the IT Group, is jointly managed by the Treasury Board Secretariat and PIPSC. According to the government, this initiative is intended to reduce reliance on external IT consultants by strengthening in-house expertise, a priority PIPSC officials have advocated for in recent years.
PIPSC President Jennifer Carr welcomed the investment, calling it “a positive step in recognizing and supporting the career development of IT professionals who are the backbone of our federal government’s digital presence.” She added that reducing reliance on outsourcing would help “preserve critical institutional knowledge” and ensure that services delivered to Canadians are both high-quality and cost-effective.
The fund aligns with the Government of Canada’s broader digital talent strategy, which encompasses initiatives like the GC Digital Talent Platform, launched in January 2024. The platform serves as a centralized hub to recruit and connect individuals with digital roles across government departments, supporting objectives within the GC Application Hosting Strategy, the Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service, and the GC Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy.
Under the terms of the collective agreement, the $4.725 million allocation will recur annually, strengthening skills and supporting retention across the government’s digital workforce.