(Photo Credit: Work NW Alberta)

By Nathaniel Leigh

Work NW Alberta partnership

Work NW Alberta Partnership holds info luncheon for local employers

Jun 6, 2025 | 10:45 AM

The Work NW Alberta Partnership held a luncheon event Thursday to discuss their goals to cultivate a skilled workforce across the Peace Region.

The partnership was made between the City and County of Grande Prairie, the MD of Greenview, the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce and Northwestern Polytechnic.

(Photo Credit: Work NW Alberta)

Susan Veres, CEO of place development agency Honeycomb Solutions, says while the partnership is still in its infancy, it is already progressing well.

“For us, the next step is finding the talent and bringing the talent here,” Veres says. “We can only do that with industry that are participating with us and helping open some markets for that conversation to happen.”

(Photo Credit: Work NW Alberta)

Veres says the goal of the luncheon was to get the word out about the partnership and show what it has to offer to local employers.

“Every industry, every employer has their own talent attraction efforts,” she says. “A big part of today’s conversation was identifying how we can support them, and the types of information and research that we’re bringing to the table to inform their discussions with talent.”

(Photo Credit: Work NW Alberta)

During the luncheon Work NW Alberta shared that the region had an estimated population of 92,913 in 2024 and is projected to have a population of 145,26 by 2031.

The luncheon also took time to discuss potential impacts on the job market including the use of AI, immigration caps, and rising tariffs.

(Photo Credit: Work NW Alberta)

Veres, says Work NW Alberta needs to be adaptable to handle these kinds of challenges.

“The Dynamics around us are changing,” she says. “We have to stick to out strategy, know that we’re competing with other regions who need talent, tell our story about why they should select us and then offer up some of the solutions to these other problems.

(Photo Credit: Work NW Alberta)

She says Work NW Alberta has various projects and goals for 2025, including updates to their website, new webinars and storytelling series, and creating new brand tools and materials.