The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Jobs, Immigration and Growth, today announced an investment of $1,990,000 over the next two years to support econext’s Accelerating Clean Growth: Green Economy Workforce Development Project. Funding for this project is provided by the Newfoundland and Labrador-Canada Labour Market Development Agreement.
Newfoundland and Labrador has a workforce with experience in large-scale construction, fabrication, and operation of energy, industrial and technology projects in challenging environments. The Accelerating Clean Growth project, which launched in 2023 in partnership with the College of the North Atlantic, Memorial University, Trades NL and various industry stakeholders, aims to increase participation and innovation of the province’s workforce in emerging clean, renewable energy industries such as wind, hydrogen, hydroelectric power and the bioeconomy.
This funding supports the ongoing project by focusing on retaining skilled workers, delivering targeted upskilling programs and addressing barriers to workforce development. Initiatives include continued promotion of the Green Job Bank, which helps employers find talent in the province’s green economy and was developed during a previous phase of the project. Additional work that will be undertaken for this project phase includes employer education to support inclusive hiring practices and training to help skilled workers adapt to evolving industry needs.
The Accelerating Clean Growth: Green Economy Workforce Development project is enhancing the province’s understanding of future labour requirements in this sector and supports the Provincial Government’s Renewable Energy Plan (Focus Area Four) and the Hydrogen Development Action Plan.
This workforce development initiative is part of a series of targeted Provincial Government investments to help ensure Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have high-quality jobs and the tools to succeed across all sectors of the provincial economy.
Quotes
“By investing in projects like this, we’re building a stronger, more sustainable economy that creates good jobs and helps grow our clean energy sector. This project supports skills training, innovation and worker retention, which helps ensure our workforce has the skills needed to capitalize on the clean energy opportunities that lie ahead.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Jobs, Immigration and Growth
“As emerging clean energy industries develop here in Newfoundland and Labrador, our government is focused on maximizing benefits to the people of the province, which includes ensuring our workers are ready to participate in renewable energy projects. This investment will help Newfoundlanders and Labradorians obtain the skills they need to thrive in the new green economy, and further position our province as a Clean Energy Centre of Excellence.”
Honourable Steve Crocker
Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology
“Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy is primed for rapid and substantive growth. From our emerging wind-to-hydrogen industry to the expansion of our electricity grid, making sure we have the workers in place with the right skills will be a key success factor. We are appreciative of the Provincial Government’s support of our efforts and look forward to doing our part — in collaboration with our partners in public, private, academic sectors — to prepare the workforce for the exciting opportunities ahead.”
Kieran Hanley
CEO, econext
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