October 20, 2016 – “On behalf of the Board of Directors of the East Central Ontario Training Board, we would like to welcome Brad Labadie to our Board and to the community” comments Francis Cadeau, Co-Chair.
Ann McIntosh retired as the Executive Director in September. The Board conducted a recruitment and selection process and are pleased to appoint Brad Labadie as the new Executive Director.
“We are excited to have Brad Labadie come on board to share his knowledge of labour market and workforce development issues along with fresh ideas to address them” remarks Mike Whitaker, Co-Chair.
Brad Labadie’s career includes over 20 years in the public sector and 6 years in the private sector food industry. For the past 8 ½ years, he has been with the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin (WPB), a sister non-profit Board that conducts labour market research and workforce development. He has lead some very innovative projects for WPB as well as engaged community members to address issues such as youth unemployment, misperceptions of manufacturing, providing an inclusive community and immigrant employment.
“I look forward to addressing the issues identified in the Local Labour Market Plan through collaborative new initiatives. All communities, whether urban or rural, face similar workforce concerns yet each have their own unique labour markets that need to be addressed. I am excited to dig right in, learn what the key issues are here and work with local communities, employers and job seekers to ensure the development of a skilled, inclusive and adaptive labour force in the Counties of Prince Edward, Hastings and Lennox & Addington” said Labadie.
If you would like more information about the East Central Ontario Training Board, its mandate and the projects the Board is currently involved with, please contact Brad Labadie, Executive Director, at 613-969-0720 or brad@focusontraining.com
Since 1997, the East Central Ontario Training Board (ECOTB) has been a member of the regional community. ECOTB is part of the province-wide Workforce Planning Ontario network, with principal funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (MAESD). As a not-for-profit organization, ECOTB is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Our prime focus is on local labour force development. As a neutral entity in the community, ECOTB conducts evidence based research, data collection, consultations, analysis and reports on the local workforce requirements. Based on our findings, we work with our community partners to develop events, projects, activities and resources that are timely and appropriate to our local needs.
