Peterborough, Ontario

The public sector makes up much of the workforce in Peterborough. Major employers include The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Trent University, Fleming College, and the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. Therrien shares how entrepreneurship is also becoming a major sector within the community: “We are seeing a lot of young female entrepreneurs in the downtown and through home-based online businesses. We have a very creative community; a lot of really engaged, younger people that are just starting out… following their dreams and doing what they love, in a community that they love. There’s a whole stretch in our downtown where businesses have opened in the last few years, and they are all run by younger women, which is a really interesting dynamic.” Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development and the Peterborough Workforce Development Board both work with local industry and post-secondary institutions to help secure a skilled workforce for the city. In addition to Trent University and Fleming College, Seneca College also trains students at the Peterborough Airport to offer job skills in the aviation field. Therrien notes, “Those post-secondary institutions are working closely with the city to develop the next generation of talent, while the Workforce Development Board highlights where the mismatches are and how they can fill those skills gaps. The Workforce Development Board also works with high schools to let students know about potential post-secondary options that are going to be in demand in the coming decade. There definitely is, and this isn’t unique to Peterborough, a skills mismatch. The aviation industry is a big one where there’s a huge shortage of labor and Peterborough is well positioned to play a strong role in support of this sector.” Employing over 100 people, the Peterborough Airport is another of the city’s larger employers and has seen major investment from