New $5k bursary announced for students looking to pursue skilled trades in N.S.

Due to a labour shortage, the construction industry in Nova Scotia is continuing to try and find ways and new avenues to attract more people into the skilled trades.

Jill Balser, the minister of labour, skills and immigration announced a new bursary program today for students interested in studying construction and pursuing a trade at Nova Scotia Community Colleges across the province.

“It’s about removing barriers," said Balser. "The skilled trades are for everyone, and we know we need more skilled trades professionals to build our houses, hospitals and schools."

Heather Cruickshanks has been in the sheet metal fabrication business for nearly 40 years and says the biggest challenge facing the construction industry today is the massive worker shortage.

"Construction has to be one of the most rewarding fields you could be in, there's never two days the same, but unfortunately we have huge hurdles and stresses today," said Cruickshanks, co-owner with L.E. Cruickshanks Sheet Metal Ltd. in Halifax.

"We can't find people to do the work," said Cruickshank, who applauds the government's move to add a bursary program to recruit potential NSCC students into the skilled trades.

"I think we have to do a better job at recruiting and letting people know what kind of trade opportunities are out there," said Cruickshanks.

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The new NSCC bursary will support up to 320 NSCC students looking for a future career in the trades, the deadline to apply is July 18th and those eligible can receive $5,000 to help pay for tuition and living costs.

Balser announced the bursary program at the Trades and Exhibition Hall, a trades showroom operated by the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council, which happened to be celebrating its 10th anniversary of the educational trade venue.

"We thought we'd do one visit a month, we are now averaging three visits per week and over 12 thousand visitors have either been informed, inspired or educated on what opportunities are available in the skilled trades," said Trent Soholt, executive director with the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council.

The NSCC built the trades showroom in 2014 and Soholt says they are focussed on showing the generation the opportunities in the skilled trades.

The NSCC bursary will only help open more doors says Soholt.

"It really helps remove those barriers so individuals can be successful in pursuing those occupations and become those trades professionals that we want them to be," said Soholt.

Cruickshanks says any skilled trade is a good career and it needs to be recognized as such and says there needs to be more appreciation for that kind of work.

"There's nothing more rewarding than driving by and saying, 'I worked on that building, I did that job, or we worked on this,'" said Cruickshanks.

Balser says the goal is to add 5,000 more apprentices to the system over the span of the next three years to help address the labour shortage.

This bursary announcement is part of a $100 million announcement the province made in October to help recruit, retain and train more people in the skilled trades.

Balser estimates the construction industry will need to add 11,000 skilled trade workers by 2030 to meet the growing demand.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.