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Advanced Education and Skills
May 9, 2012

House of Assembly Passes Motion for Skilled Trades Opportunities

A resolution to support Provincial Government initiatives that prepare Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for career opportunities in the skilled trades was passed unanimously today in the House of Assembly.

“With an expected 70,000 job openings in the next 10 years, the Provincial Government is working on innovative approaches to labour market challenges in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said the Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills. “Through our support today for this resolution, this government is maximizing opportunities for education and employment while providing access to the skilled innovative workforce needed to compete in the global economy.”

Through Budget 2012: People and Prosperity, the Provincial Government is investing $4.1 million in new funding for initiatives that advance apprenticeship opportunities and support women and other under-represented groups in skilled trades in this province. The initiatives are:

“Through advancements to the apprenticeship system and continued support and collaboration of all our stakeholders, the Provincial Government is helping to ensure labour demands are met so our economy can thrive,” said Minister Burke.

“In this time of unprecedented development, we need to continue our efforts to make certain today’s opportunities are used to secure tomorrow’s prosperity for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”

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Media contact:
John Tompkins
Director of Communications
Department of Advanced Education and Skills
709-729-0753, 728-7762
jtompkins@gov.nl.ca 


BACKGROUNDER
Private Member’s Resolution on Career Opportunities in Skilled Trades in Newfoundland and Labrador

WHEREAS over the course of the next 10 years, Newfoundland and Labrador is projected to see some 70,000 job openings;

AND WHEREAS our government since 2003 has laid the foundation for this growth by commissioning and delivering on both the White Paper on Public Post-secondary Education and the Skills Task Force to prepare our people;

AND WHEREAS our government, since the release of the Skills Task Force Report in 2007, has invested approximately $95 million in the areas of apprenticeship, science and technology, training and infrastructure;

AND WHEREAS Budget 2012 invests $4.1 million in new funding to support the following initiatives to advance apprenticeship opportunities and support women and other under-represented groups in skilled trades in Newfoundland and Labrador, including 1) a Journeyperson Mentorship Program to help increase the number of certified journeypersons available to provide required workplace training for apprentices; 2) expansion of the Apprenticeship Wage Subsidy Program that helps provide work experience to apprentices, with a focus on first and second-year apprentices including those from under-represented groups such as women and persons with disabilities; and 3) registration of pre-apprentices in an Apprentice Tracking System to assist students completing entry-level skilled trades programs to secure employment and progress to journeyperson status;

AND WHEREAS Budget 2012 also invests $200,000 to establish the Workforce Development Secretariat, which will focus on ensuring that labour market polices and programs are strategically aligned to develop and deploy a highly trained and skilled workforce that can meet evolving labour market demands;

AND WHEREAS a further $10.8 million in federal funding administered by our government through the Labour Market Development Agreement and Labour Market Agreement will support training and programs such as the Apprenticeship Wage Subsidy, and the Office to Advance Women Apprentices;

AND WHEREAS our government has extended the public post-secondary tuition fee freeze in 2012-13, expanded the Student Financial Assistance Program to increase the study period exemption from $50 per week to $100 per week, and continued the up-front needs-based grants and the interest-free student loans as part of its progressive commitment to provide students in this province with the best student aid program in the country;

AND WHEREAS our government is also investing to expand programs such as Memorial University’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the oceans sector of the Marine Institute, while also investing in new and improved infrastructure at our public post-secondary institutions;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT this Honourable House supports the initiatives the provincial government is taking to prepare Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for career opportunities in the skilled trades in our province while recognizing the need for further action in this regard.

2012 05 09             6:15 p.m.

 
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