Local skills and job development program TalentWorks received another lifeline from The Ottawa Partnership this week.

The Ottawa Partnership (TOP) provided another $37,500 to the program, matching the funding amount provided in March and bringing the total to $75,000.

TalentWorks is "a community-based initiative building Ottawa's talent pool by providing strategic, integrated support to targeted sectors. It facilitates collaboration between business, government, education and community partners to develop, attract, and retain qualified workers."

The program, funded by the city through the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI), found itself at the wrong end of city council's budget cuts in March.

In desperation, TalentWorks executive director Cheryl Gorman turned to TOP for support in search of $75,000 to keep the program alive for another year.

In an unusual move for TOP, it agreed to use part of its own capital funding of $250,000 a year to provide a six-month lifeline to the program of $37,500. Receiving the other $37,500 was conditional upon TalentWorks providing additional information on its future and its quest to secure alternate sources of funding.

On Wednesday, TOP co-chair Kirk Mandy said the private-public economic development group hopes TalentWorks will now have the bridge it needs to secure new funding from the province and the federal government and keep going.

When TalentWorks' budget ended up on the block during budget deliberations, it did have supporters among city staff.

Among them was City of Ottawa business development branch acting director Michael Murr, who said the city should provide TalentWorks funding for another year to afford it the time to secure other sources of support.