The need for competent skilled trades professionals has never been more pressing in a world that is changing quickly. The province of Nova Scotia, which is renowned for its abundance of natural resources, gorgeous scenery, and energetic towns, is in a crucial position to support the expansion and sustainability of its skilled crafts industry. In order to hasten the expansion of skilled crafts in NS, provincial authorities and stakeholders have joined forces in recognition of the enormous potential that this industry has.
Building homes, hospitals, and roads in NS will happen more quickly if more people are trained, hired, and retained in the skilled trades.
To fulfill the demands of an expanding province, the government will speed up the expansion of skilled trades and modernize the entire apprenticeship and trades qualification system.
With the actions announced on October 19, Premier Tim Houston will increase the number of journeypersons and trades qualifiers by 1,000 annually, bring the total number of apprentices in the system to 5,000, and within five years, increase the apprentice retention rate from 43% to 60%, which is among the highest in the nation. The More Opportunity for Skilled Trades (MOST) program and apprenticeship program, as well as earlier adjustments to the apprenticeship ratios, have both been at the forefront of innovation.
In order to lead the skilled trades in Canada, Premier Houston stated that the government is prepared to make bold decisions and make significant changes to the status quo.
In order to enable more people join Nova Scotia’s skilled trades sector more quickly, the province is introducing a new targeted immigration stream and adjusting the ratios to increase the number of apprentices training on job sites.
In most trades, the standard ratio has been raised from one journeyperson for every two apprentices to one journeyperson for every three apprentices. Additionally, the Province is removing final level apprentices from all trade ratios.
21 in-demand construction jobs, mostly in the residential building trades, are part of the Critical Construction Worker Pilot, a new stream of Nova Scotia’s Provincial Nominee Program. It will increase the number of competent individuals that businesses require and acknowledge the importance of industry experience for these positions. In contrast to other streams, it does not call for a high school graduation.
Learn more about this government initiative at https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20231019001
Reference: https://novascotia.ca/
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