‘We’re raising the bar': Skilled trades training institution in Canada focused on alignment to critical workplace skills
The Nova Scotia government and Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) are creating a new Institute of Skilled Trades (IST) to modernize trades training and better align it with employers’ needs, backed by a five-year, $25‑million investment in equipment.
Announced this week, the IST is intended to provide students and apprentices with “modern training and equipment to develop the skills employers need – today and in the future,” according to the Nova Scotia government.
“Major investments in housing, transportation, defence, clean energy, manufacturing and infrastructure all depend on a strong, highly skilled trades workforce,” said Nolan Young, minister of labour, skills and immigration. “With the Institute of Skilled Trades, we’re raising the bar – becoming the best skilled trades training institution in Canada, aligned with industry, focused on alignment to critical workplace skills, and preparing people for rewarding careers that will power our province and our country.”
Government’s workforce focus
Labour, Skills and Immigration Minister Nolan Young framed the move as critical to supporting major capital and economic projects.
The Nova Scotia government said the IST will be supported by a $25‑million commitment over five years to purchase innovative equipment and tools to enhance classrooms, training spaces and workshops across the province. The funding is meant to allow students and apprentices “to better prepare for the latest job-site practices and emerging technologies.”
According to the province, equipment investments will be prioritized each year based on industry input, safety requirements and emerging technology trends.
Scope of training and industry alignment
The IST will support training across four main areas: construction, industrial and manufacturing, motive power and service trades. Industry representatives will help shape programs “to better align with today’s workplace requirements, evolving skill sets and labour market demand,” the Nova Scotia government said.
NSCC will remain the primary training provider for skilled trades under the IST framework. The NSCC board of governors will retain full authority for governance and oversight of the college. Apprenticeship and occupational standards, certification and Red Seal requirements will continue to be managed by the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency.
NSCC’s role and mandate
“Skilled trades training has always been at the heart of what we do as a college,” said Don Bureaux, president of NSCC. “This new institute will draw key voices from industry directly into decision-making to ensure programming is even more closely tied to industry needs.”
Bureaux said the province faces “tremendous opportunities for economic growth on Nova Scotia’s near horizon,” and argued the IST will help ensure graduates meet employer expectations. “Graduating students that are job-ready with the skills employers need, as they’re needed, supports student success and is a central part of delivering on our mission to build our province’s economy and quality of life through education and innovation,” he said.
Council composition and governance shift
The industry-led IST council will include representatives from construction, industrial and manufacturing, motive power and service trades, along with leaders from NSCC and the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. Heather Cruickshanks will serve as chair, with Tim Manuel as vice-chair and motive power representative.
“Industry needs training that keeps pace with modern workplaces, technology and the skills we need,” Cruickshanks said. “The Institute of Skilled Trades will bring industry, NSCC and government together in a more coordinated way, helping ensure graduates and apprentices are ready to succeed on today’s job sites and into the future.”
The Nova Scotia government said that over the past year, NSCC has already increased the number of technical training seats by more than 1,000 and added 260 pre‑apprenticeship seats. The IST is designed to further improve outcomes including graduation rates, job attachment, apprenticeship progression and certification success.
Initial trade and program reviews for the institute began in January, with additional reviews scheduled for priority programming through 2026.
The launch of the IST follows a governance change in December, when responsibility for NSCC was transferred from the Department of Advanced Education to the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration. The province said the shift was made “to better align post-secondary training with workforce development and labour market needs.”
In January, Nova Scotia also launched its Skills Bridge initiative, which is designed to help military veterans transition into the construction industry, addressing both workforce shortages and the needs of those who have served their country.
Shortage of skilled workers
Nova Scotia is dealing with a massive labour shortage in the skilled trades.
In its 2025–2034 outlook, BuildForce estimates that 8,400 workers, or 23% of the 2024 labour force, are expected to exit the industry due to retirement by 2034. When retirements are combined with rising construction demand, Nova Scotia “could face a hiring gap of as many as 15,000 workers”. Even assuming 7,900 new entrants from local sources, the province is left with a projected hiring gap of 7,100 workers by 2034.
Nova Scotia’s own policy language is consistent with a shortage narrative.
In a February 2024 release on expanding trades training, the province described its actions as part of “the plan to grow Nova Scotia’s skilled trades workforce” and noted that funding more seats in high‑demand trades has already moved almost 200 apprentices off wait lists and into technical training, with more than 400 people still on the wait list across about 3,700 training seats.
The same plan set explicit growth targets: adding up to 5,000 more apprentices over three years, increasing the number of journeypersons and trade qualifiers taking on apprentices by 1,000 a year, and raising apprentice retention from 43% to 60% within five years—all framed as measures that “will help meet the needs of our growing province.”
BuildForce Canada’s national construction outlook projects that over the next decade 270,000 experienced construction workers will retire, and growth in demand will require the labour force to expand by another 111,600 workers. That produces a hiring requirement of 380,500 workers by 2034. Even with expected recruitment of about 272,200 workers under age 30, the industry could still face a shortfall of up to 108,300 workers by 2034.
Recently, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) announced that it has doubled its investment in the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) and expanded flexibilities under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy’s Investments in Training Equipment (ITE) stream.
