Canada’s premiers have approved a plan that will make it easier for apprentices to move between provinces and territories while completing their training and certification.
Premier Stephen McNeil, as lead premier on the initiative, briefed his counterparts on details of the plan during the meeting of premiers Friday, Jan. 30, in Ottawa.
“By 2016, an apprentice’s hours worked, and technical training, will be recognized across Canada, no matter where he or she receives it,” said Premier McNeil. “This will make it easier for Nova Scotians who began the apprenticeship elsewhere to come home to continue their training and certification. Government promised to modernize Nova Scotia’s apprenticeship system, and this agreement is a key step towards that.”
The agreement will also make it easier for employers to get the skilled workers they need.
It will build on work of the Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization Project and the agreement signed with Alberta to ensure that both pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship training is transferable between both provinces.
“Having all provinces and territories on the same page will mean that our qualifications will be properly recognized and help us get closer to our final goal of achieving our red seal certification,” said Tiffany Parker, a fourth-year apprentice electrician from Halifax.
On July 1, government created the arm’s-length Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. The agency focuses on engaging employers, increasing apprenticeship opportunities in the province and helping more apprentices complete their training.
Source: Release