The First in Trades program launch at the Lily Lake Pavilion. (Photo Credit: Tamara Steele)
A new 5-year pilot program aims to address the coming shortage of skilled workers and provide opportunities for Indigenous people in New Brunswick.
Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long announcing more than a million dollars in federal funding for MAP Strategic Services Inc. for the First in Trades program.
The team at MAP will be working with the New Brunswick Building Trade Union and the Joint Economic Development Initiative to work with the 14 affiliated unions to open 18 to 20 Indigenous apprenticeship positions.
Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long announces more than $1 million for a new program which will open 18 to 20 Indigenous apprenticeship positions within the 14 affiliate unions of the New Brunswick Building Trade Unions.
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) March 13, 2019
Helene Savoie-Louis is the director of MAP Strategic Services Inc. and she tells us how this new program will help.
“What we are hoping this project will do is open up the doors to wonderful work with unions for good pay, good salary, good benefits and good pensions,” Savoie-Louis says.
Program coordinator Karen Gilham says they will follow the 20 Indigenous apprentices through the five-year program and provide support so they can improve retention rates.
“When we start with 20 we are going end with 20 red seal tradespeople who can then go on and be leaders in their own communities and go back and say the skilled trades are where it’s at,” Gilham says.
Jean Marc Ringuette of the New Brunswick Building Trades Union says this is a natural fit.
“With demographics of underrepresented workers and our first nations people being the fastest growing demographic in Canada. It would be very intelligent to reach out to those communities to see what we can do to make sure we include them.” Ringuette says.
254,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire in Canada over the next decade which includes 7400 construction workers in New Brunswick alone.
The new program is called First in Trades and is part of MAP Strategic Workforce Services Inc.
Here are some of MP Long’s remarks. pic.twitter.com/v4Sr25XUhI— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) March 13, 2019
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