May 15, 2013 - A new trade certification program aims to help enterprising tradespeople in Atlantic Canada obtain the tools they need to succeed in business.

The Atlantic Trades Business Seal Program was announced today by New Brunswick’s post-secondary education, training and labour minister Danny Soucy, and by national revenue minister Gail Shea (who is also minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency [ACOA]).

The pan-Atlantic initiative will provide tradespeople with the opportunity to supplement their trade certification with business credentials to help them start and expand their businesses, or move into managerial roles within an existing company.

“This program provides the link between the skills required for the respective trade and the skills it takes to run a business,” said Soucy. “Those are two very different things. We are pleased to partner with the federal government on this initiative, which complements the premier’s recent commitment for greater collaboration among the Atlantic provinces and the move towards harmonizing apprenticeship programs in our region.”

As a recognized standard throughout Atlantic Canada, the Atlantic Trades Business Seal will complement the Red Seal endorsement, which is accepted across Canada as an industry standard of excellence for the skilled trades.

“Our government is committed to supporting certification and training initiatives that promote skills development and create job opportunities for Atlantic Canadians,” said Shea. “Our support for the Atlantic Trades Business Seal Program will help tradespeople achieve their business goals, as well as to take advantage of the historic opportunities that will flow from projects like the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.”

The program is being offered in five colleges including: Nova Scotia Community College; New Brunswick Community College and Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick; College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador; and Holland College on Prince Edward Island. To achieve the business seal, program participants are required to complete five stand-alone modules (150 hours of study) in the following areas: operations management; business planning; marketing and sales; financial management; and human resource management.

The program encourages formal learning and training beyond the trade certificate; presents new career opportunities by promoting the successful start-up and growth of trades-related businesses; provides a common recognized standard through which existing businesses can identify individuals with the skills to manage or take over a business, thus facilitating succession planning; contributes to greater worker mobility across the Atlantic region; and provides the next generation of apprentices with more opportunities to gain experience faster which, in turn, is expected to help the industry’s efforts to attract more young people to the skilled trades as a career option.

The federal government, through ACOA, is investing $100,236 in the program under the Business Development Program. The provincial government is investing $15,206.

The initiative is led by the Atlantic Apprenticeship Council which encourages the standardization of apprenticeship training and certification programs and provides greater mobility across Atlantic Canada for skilled workers. The council is made up of apprenticeship directors and apprenticeship board chairs of the four Atlantic provinces and works with the Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training.

May 12, 2013 - According to the National Electrical Contractors Association in the States, the National Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (NJATC) has entered into agreement with Salisbury by Honeywell to create the Salisbury Personal Protective Equipment Academy program to train the next generation of electrical union workers.

May 9, 2013 - Skilled worker training centres that are a partnership of labour and management are found to be more successful in helping apprentices become journeypersons, says a new study commissioned by the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS).

May 8, 2013 - JDSU invites you to join its subject matter experts for a series of one-hour (including Q&A) complimentary educational webinars presented by JDSU subject matter experts.

May 6, 2013 - The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) has announced several enhancements to its web-based learning management system, such as new content, a rating and comment section, enhanced assignment capabilities and streaming video for improved user experience. Branch Management University (BMU) and EPEC Lighting programs are two brand new programs that have recently been added to the NAED Learning Center. BMU is a three-level training program to help managers meet branch goals and become better leaders, while EPEC Lighting is the first NAED EPEC level that focuses on one specific product line that is targeted to the lighting professional. New content has also been added to the VIP Access Core, Sales, and Leadership subscription programs to better address the development needs of industry associates in areas such as time management, presentations and stress management, adds NAED. Students of the Voice-Data-Video (VDV) course for electrical distribution and the new Selling & Communicating to All Generations courses can now view the program on a tablet.

April 29, 2013 - An initiative to create a common, regional approach to apprenticeship announced today by Atlantic premiers promises “greater mobility and a stronger labour force that supports Atlantic Canada’s growing economy”. Through the Atlantic Workforce Partnership, Atlantic Canada aims to lead the nation in its approach to harmonize apprenticeship programs.

April 29, 2013 - Manitoba says it now has a new strategic action plan to prevent workplace injury and illness, and to better ensure every worker makes it home safely at the end of the day.

April 16, 2013 - Don Morgan, Saskatchewan’s advanced education minister, announced the province is providing $1 million in design funding through the 2013-14 budget to Parkland Regional College for a new Trades and Technology Centre in Yorkton.

April 11, 2013 - Over 475 youth from across Manitoba competed in more than 40 trade and technology fields at the Skills Manitoba Competition today.

April 4, 2013 - Fluke is offering 1- and 2-day courses to help you train and certify your existing employees in the installation and certification of high-speed structured cabling systems. The Fluke Networks Certified Cabling Test Technician (CCTT) program is designed for contractors and enterprise network owners who currently own or anticipate purchasing DTX series cable certification equipment. Students are encouraged to bring their DTX units and modules to the class. The CCTT course is offered in two parts depending on your specialization, and is offered on separate days for either copper or fiber certification. DON’T DELAY, as there is a maximum of 8 students per class. Upon successful completion of the class, Fluke Networks will deliver CCTT certificates to the attendees, and 7 CEC credits per day are available from BICSI.

• April 15 (copper) and 16 (fiber), Saskatoon, Sask.
• April 18 (copper) and April 19 (fiber), Richmond, B.C.
• April 22 (copper) and April 23 (fiber), Victoria, B.C.
• May 1 (copper) and May 2 (fiber), Regina, Sask.
• May 6 (copper) and May 7 (fiber), Edmonton, Alta.
• May 9 (copper) and May 10 (fiber), Calgary, Alta.