NL expands Office for Indigenous and Northern Skilled Trades with two new locations

The Government of Newfoundland & Labrador will be providing over $900K to fund the expansion of the Office for Indigenous and Northern Skilled Trades to Corner Brook and St. John’s, as well as to maintain the office’s existing location in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The office was opened in 2020 with the mandate to raise Indigenous representation in the NL building and construction trades to 15%, and it pursues this mandate by removing barriers with partnership and outreach activities and employment and training supports. These supports include offering exam preparation for trainees, arranging wage subsidy funding for placements, and maintaining a database with forecasts of skills requirements. With three offices, the Office will be able to ensure that the offered programs, policies, procedures, and reporting mechanisms support status and non-status Indigenous peoples looking to enter the Skilled Trades. “We are thrilled to be increasing our ability to serve Indigenous peoples across our province,” said Darin King, Executive Director of Trades NL. “Trades NL remains committed to ensuring Indigenous people with an interest in the skilled trades receive our encouragement and support to ply their talents in the rewarding work tradespeople perform every day.”