Innovation and Advanced Learning Holland College is diversifying its program offerings to meet the human resource needs of the growing e-health sector. The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, and Minister Allen Roach, PEI Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning, announced investments today in a new e-Health Training and Industry Support Centre which will be established to provide skills training and industry collaboration.

“Our Government recognizes that investing in innovation and the knowledge-based sector is an investment in the competitiveness of Canadian businesses,” said the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and La Francophonie.

“Holland College will continue to make a large contribution to growing and sustaining our economy by equipping Canadians to participate in – and contribute to – Atlantic Canada’s skilled workforce.” The Holland College e-Health Training and Industry Support Centre will be located at the new Summerside Waterfront Campus to be opened this fall. The e-health industry is growing rapidly in Canada and around the world. New technologies and communications tools are transforming service delivery, patient treatment and information management.

“The Government of Prince Edward Island supports the emerging e-health industry both as an economic opportunity and as a way to make Canada’s health system efficient and cost-effective,” said the Honourable Allen Roach, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning. “The students who come through this program will be ready for challenging and rewarding careers in a vitally important field.”

This fall, Holland College will offer an enhanced version of the Computer Information Systems program which will include a concentration on health IT systems management to assist in sector-based education, a key element to growing the health IT sector in Summerside. “Holland College has an established reputation for being responsive to the needs of industry and of the communities of Prince Edward Island.

The development of the e-Health Training and Industry Support Centre is a good example of how we have worked with industry and our government partners to enhance the growth of the e-Health sector in our province,” said Dr. Brian McMillan, President of Holland College. “If this sector is to thrive in Summerside and across the Island, it is essential to support the expansion of the firms already located in the area, and to encourage other health IT businesses to locate here.

In order to do that, we must have a pool of well trained workers. I commend both the federal and provincial governments for their participation in the Holland College e-Health Training and Industry Support Centre.” The Government of Canada, through ACOA’s Business Development Program, is investing $220,466 towards the purchase of computer and specialized equipment. The Government of Prince Edward Island will support the training centre through the Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning by providing eligible students with financial assistance under SkillsPEI Programs