Budget 2012 Workforce Investments Support Growth and Prosperity
In a time of unprecedented development, when quality post-secondary education has never been more affordable and accessible, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is meeting a growing demand for labour with Budget 2012 investments.
Through partnerships with business and labour, and innovations in
programs and services, Budget 2012 provides over $108 million in new and
continuing funding to increase apprenticeship training, support
post-secondary institutions and students,
and enhance workforce development.
“Newfoundland and Labrador leads the country in affordable education and growing employment opportunities,” said the Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills. “With a labour demand forecast of up to 70,000 job openings within the next 10 years, Budget 2012 investments continue our ongoing efforts to ensure today’s opportunities are used to secure a future of growth and prosperity for our people, our communities and our province.”
These investments will help position the province to take full advantage of opportunities by maximizing employment for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and providing access to the skilled, innovative workforce employers need to compete in the global economy.
Supporting Apprentices and Women in Trades
Through Budget 2012, $4.1 million in new funding will support initiatives to
advance apprenticeship opportunities and support women and other
under-represented groups in skilled trades in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The initiatives are:
Budget 2012 will also provide an investment of $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.
These investments support ongoing efforts to assist apprentices. In addition, a further $10.8 million in federal funding is administered by the Provincial Government through the Labour Market Development Agreement and Labour Market Agreement to support training and programs such as the Apprenticeship Wage Subsidy, the Office to Advance Women Apprentices, and the Government Apprenticeship Hiring Program.
“The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to advancing women in skilled trades and helping them access employment opportunities in the growing sectors of our economy,” said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. “This government is making investments to reduce barriers for women in the labour market by ensuring that they are trained and prepared to avail of all employment opportunities.”
The Provincial Government has invested significantly to address challenges associated with the skilled trades sector. Since the release of the Skills Task Force Report in 2007, approximately $95 million has been allocated in the areas of apprenticeship, science and technology, programming, training and infrastructure.
Supporting Post-Secondary Education
The Provincial Government is once again leading the way to make
post-secondary education more affordable and accessible. Budget 2012
provides approximately
$66 million to reduce student debt through:
An investment of approximately $862,000 will assist students by increasing the study period exemption from $50 per week to $100 per week under the Student Financial Assistance Program. This will allow students to earn up to $100 per week from employment earnings during their period of study without impacting their student loan and grant entitlement.
To further support post-secondary education, Budget 2012 includes the following investments:
Investing in Infrastructure
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador recognizes the critical role of
modern infrastructure at Memorial University to propel its economic
strategy, especially related to ocean science and technology. The Provincial
Government will work closely with Memorial to identify priorities and begin
the planning process for future projects.
Through Budget 2012, the Provincial Government continues to make strategic investments to support post-secondary infrastructure, including:
Other investments to support post-secondary infrastructure are:
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Media contacts:
John Tompkins Director of Communications Department of Advanced Education and Skills 709-729-0753, 728-7762 jtompkins@gov.nl.ca |
Michelle Hunt Director of Communications Department of Child, Youth and Family Services 709-729-5148, 725-1593 michellehunt@gov.nl.ca |
2012 04 24 2:25 p.m.