The 2023 Annual Industry Meeting (AIM) took place on November 2, with over 110 guests gathered in-person at the Best Western Plus Dartmouth Hotel & Suites. The event opened with a land acknowledgement and territorial welcome and prayer. Trent Soholt, Apprenticeship Board Chair, delivered opening remarks and provided an update on the Apprenticeship Board’s accomplishments. Nicole Johnson-Morrison, Associate Deputy Minister of Nova Scotia Labour, Skills and Immigration, emphasized the government’s commitment to work with businesses, education partners, and the labour sector to modernize the province’s apprenticeship system.
The Apprenticeship Awards of Excellence recipients were unveiled during the AIM. This year’s recipients were Mathias Probst and Joy St. Germain. Mathias Probst, Executive Chef at The Carleton, received the Apprenticeship Award of Excellence for his innovative approach in supporting apprentices and his leadership in the Serve It Up! youth program. Mathias can be heard talking about what it means to be a mentor on this video. Joy St. Germain, New Construction Supervisor at A. F. Theriault & Son Ltd., received the Apprenticeship Ally Award of Excellence in recognition of her outstanding commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in the apprenticeship system. On this video, Joy can be heard talking about being a Techsploration role model and mentoring the newest international employees at A. F. Theriault.
Following the awards presentation, Michelle Bussey, NSAA CEO, presented an overview of the Agency’s 2022-23 year in review. Highlights included an increase of 5.73% in the total number of registered apprentices, a 182% increase in registered youth apprentices, a 20.6% increase in the number of certifications obtained, and a continued increase in the number of women apprentices joining the skilled trades. A detailed account of the Agency’s year in review is available in the 2022-23 Annual Report.
A large portion of the event was focused on hearing directly from industry. Lisa Frizzell, Senior Education Strategist at NSAA, led a facilitated session to seek insights from industry and partners in apprenticeship about their role in achieving a modern apprenticeship system. Closing remarks were delivered by Trent Soholt, Apprenticeship Board Chair.
