Digital Training Leads to Quick Employment for Young Nova Scotians

More than 100 young Nova Scotians have recently landed jobs or pursued further education in the province’s information technology (IT) sector after graduating from NPower Canada’s digital training program.

The 2021 year-end results of a $1.3 million provincial investment in NPower Canada show that program participants in Nova Scotia are finding employment opportunities in the IT sector faster than other regions in Canada.

As of October, 80 per cent of the program’s September graduates had already found jobs or pursued further education within four weeks of graduation. In other regions in Canada, it can take four to six months for NPower Canada graduates to reach the 80 per cent success target.

“We are thrilled with the success of the program and congratulate all the graduates,” said Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “This supports our mandate to attract and support entrepreneurs and youth who can secure good jobs provincewide, and it demonstrates the strength of Nova Scotia’s thriving digital sector.”

NPower Canada helps reduce poverty in Canada by helping youth facing employment barriers launch IT careers. For example, Alex Andrew, of Dartmouth, is legally blind and thought that could prevent him from getting an IT job. NPower Canada accommodated his learning needs, and he successfully completed the program and found work in IT.

Up to 350 youth can enroll in a free 15-week technical and professional skills training program over a three-year period. Participants receive mentoring and other supports, including individual counselling, and graduate with industry-recognized credentials. Participants are supported for at least five years with career help, job placement, retention coaching, connections with industry mentors, and professional development.

NPower is currently recruiting for its winter cohort beginning in January 2022.

Quotes:

“NPower Canada is excited to equip growing numbers of Nova Scotian jobseekers with the digital skills required by local employers. Our program serves as a bridge between supply and demand, connecting Nova Scotians eager to join the digital economy with companies urgently seeking tech talent.”

– Andrew Reddin, Chief Operating Officer, NPower Canada

“NPower Canada’s program allowed me to branch out my networks and tap into a job market I had not had experience in before, through new tech skills as well as interpersonal skills.”

– Alex Andrew, NPower Junior IT Analyst Program graduate, May 2021

Quick Facts:

• according to Digital Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia’s ICT (information and communications technology) and digital technologies sector is valued at $2.5 billion
• Nova Scotia invested $1.3 million in NPower Canada through the Canada-Nova Scotia Labour Market Transfer Agreements
• the full cost of the NPower program is $2.7 million; funding partners include the Government of Canada under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, Google.org, the Future Skills Centre and RBC
• since February 2021, NPower has supported 140 program participants in Nova Scotia
• of those participants, some have voluntarily reported that they self-identify as: members of racialized communities – 71 (51 per cent); African Nova Scotian – 38 (21 per cent); members of 2SLGBTIQ+ communities – 25 (18 per cent); Indigenous and/or as First Nation, Metis or Inuit – 4 (three per cent); persons with disabilities – 33 (24 per cent); newcomers, including permanent residents, convention refugees, refugee claimants and work permit holders – 36 (26 per cent)

Additional Resources:

Learn more about NPower Canada, how to apply for its programs, support as a mentor, or hire a graduate: https://npowercanada.ca/

Find more information on Nova Scotia’s digital sector: https://digitalnovascotia.com/about-dns/

Provincial announcement, November 6, 2020: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20201106001