The importance of skilled trades is being highlighted throughout the
country this week as provinces recognize Canada Career Week. The
Williams Government, through the Departments of Education, and Human
Resources, Labour and Employment, is making a concerted effort at all
levels to strengthen skilled trades programming and to respond to labour
market needs.
"In anticipation of increasing demands for a strong skilled labour
force, our government established the Skills Task Force, a combined
effort of industry, business, education and government sectors, to
ensure our province is well-positioned to meet the labour market demands
associated with increased economic activity," said the Honourable Joan
Burke, Minister of Education. "Government is already acting on many
recommendations brought forward by the task force, each of which is
contributing to our economic growth and the creation of stable,
long-term jobs."
Budget 2007 allocated $9.6 million to address immediate needs in the
education and apprenticeship system, many of which support the report of
the Skills Task Force, All the Skills to Succeed. Some
initiatives include:
$660,000 to expand post-secondary programming in skilled trades
and technology offerings at the College of the North Atlantic to
meet the increased demand for skilled workers in key sectors of the
Newfoundland and Labrador economy;
$567,000 for national apprenticeship standards;
$496,000 to strengthen the participation of women, Aboriginal
people and youth in the apprenticeship system, including $200,000 to
expand the number of female apprentices and $200,000 to support
increased participation of Aboriginal people in the skilled trades;
$600,000 cost-shared between the Departments of Education, and
Transportation and Works to increase the number of new apprentices
hired annually within the public sector;
$240,000 to deliver the power engineering program, develop new
training standards and co-ordinate exams;
$100,000 to establish an industrial coordinating committee to
identify specific skill sets required by industry in the province;
and
$75,000 to establish 25 scholarships of $1,000 each to encourage
youth participating in the Youth Apprenticeship Program to continue
their studies at the post-secondary level and 25 scholarships of
$2,000 each to establish a Post-Secondary Transition Awards Program
for recent Adult Basic Education graduates commencing a full-time
post-secondary program.
"From our perspective, we are moving forward with a number of labour
market development measures to ensure that people have access to the
information they need to make an informed choice regarding their career
and employment prospects," said the Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister
of Human Resources, Labour and Employment.
For job seekers, employers, and people in career transition, the
Provincial Government is spending approximately $1 million to expand
provincial career and employment services with the establishment of six
additional Career Information Resource Centres, for a total of eight in
the province.
The Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment has launched
a dedicated Web site, www.LMIworks.nl.ca , to provide on-line access to
provincial labour market information and resources and is investing
$500,000 this year to hire 10 regional career information officers to
work in partnership with teachers and students in the K-12 school
system.
For post-secondary students, $1million is being invested to double
the size of the Graduate Employment Program and help 100 more
post-secondary students successful make the transition from school to
work.
"The skills of our people are a vital provincial asset. Skills help
businesses achieve productivity, innovation and profitability; and
skills help individuals raise their employability and achieve their
ambitions for themselves and their communities," said Minister Burke.
"Ultimately we all want the same things � an empowered people, a strong,
prosperous province and a thriving, confident business environment. We
know that Newfoundland and Labrador is a place where people want to live
and work. So we will continue to work tirelessly to create real jobs,
real opportunities, and a sustaining economy for current and future
generations."
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