Sudbury, ON. NORCAT, the global leader in skilled labour
training and innovation services, is excited to announce it has been
selected by Digital Main Street to deliver its new Future Proof program
across Northern Ontario. Launched today, the Future Proof program will
help entrepreneurs leverage digital solutions and adapt their businesses
to regain lost revenue and become more resilient and competitive as the
economy recovers in a post COVID-19 world.
The nine-month
project, led by Digital Main Street, is delivered in partnership with
the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev
Ontario), the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and
Trade, Invest Ottawa, Communitech and NORCAT.
“As Sudbury’s
regional innovation centre, NORCAT’s goal is to accelerate the growth of
innovative companies that will drive future economic and social
prosperity for Canada,” says Don Duval, NORCAT CEO. “We are proud to
collaborate with Digital Main Street and our regional and provincial
partners to deliver the Future Proof program across Northern Ontario. By
empowering small businesses with digital solutions, data insights and
the tools to evolve and adapt to today’s economic climate, we can help
entrepreneurs across Northern Ontario not only recover, but grow and
thrive.”
The Future Proof program targets small and medium-sized
businesses in the retail, hospitality, service and trades sectors
looking for an advanced level of support to take their established
online presence and ambitious market growth plans to the next level.
Through the program, business owners will have access to teams of
qualified students, experienced digital marketing professionals and
business advisors to develop sophisticated digital marketing plans to
identify and pursue new domestic and global market opportunities through
online sales.
“Ontario’s small businesses are at the heart of
our economy and will play a key role in its recovery. That is why we
have invested in Digital Main Street. To help entrepreneurs take
advantage of the increase in online commerce by supporting them to
execute digital transformations, and ultimately succeed at doing
business in a digital world. The Future Proof Program will help protect
Ontario’s main streets, support local jobs and help our economy come
back stronger than ever,” says The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of
Economic Development and Official Languages.
Through Future Proof,
NORCAT will work with over 120 small businesses across Northern Ontario
before the project’s completion in March 2021. The program is available
to small business owners across Northern Ontario, including Sudbury,
Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Timmins and Kenora districts.
“Providing
businesses with the tools they need to adapt, recover and grow is a key
part of our economic recovery plan throughout reopening and into the
future. The Future Proof Program powered offered through Digital Main
Street is just one example of how Ontario’s recovery will be driven by
innovation,” says The Honourable Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic
Development, Job Creation and Trade
Future Proof is the latest
initiative developed by Digital Main Street, complimenting the
successful ShopHERE and Ontario Grants programs. Created through a
partnership between the City of Toronto and the Toronto Association of
Business Improvement Areas to help businesses utilize technology such as
websites, social media and e-commerce platforms to grow and pursue new
opportunities, Digital Main Street has engaged with over 6,000 main
street businesses since 2016.
For more information please contact Lindsay Lane | NORCAT | llane@norcat.org | 705.521.8324 x337