The provincial government has launched its new journeyperson mentorship program, offering to pay qualified, red-seal tradespeople to teach the next generation.
At the program launch, held at the Office to Advance Women Apprentices and Carpenters Millwrights College building in Paradise this afternoon, Premier Kathy Dunderdale focused on the increase in the number of women taking up apprenticeship positions within the province.
The premier noted the general labour shortage and promoted the program as one more step her government is taking to help locals train for job openings.
Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Joan Burke said the new mentorship program was developed using the input offered by employers, journeypersons and apprentices during regional forums on education in the trades earlier this year.
The journeyperson program was announced with the provincial budget and has taken until now to launch, Burke said, because of the need to tackle the concerns of all those involved.
“This program will retain our trained apprentices in the system — get more of them on the job site,” said Ivan Gedge, with the Atlantic Canada Regional Council of Carpenters, Millwrights and Allied Workers.
The province is spending $2 million on the new mentorship program.
Detailed guidelines of the program are to be made available online at www.aes.gov.nl.ca/app/
Read more in tomorrow’s print and digital editions.
afitzpatrick@thetelegram.com
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