Nova Scotia Adjusts Apprenticeship Ratios
To support the need for more skilled tradespersons in Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency (NSAA) is making amendments to the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act General Regulations to modernize apprenticeship training.
These amendments include:
- increasing the number of apprentices a journeyperson can train from one apprentice to two apprentices (commonly referred to as ratio);
- exempting youth apprentices from ratio to remove barriers to youth apprenticeship while still providing youth with direct supervision; and
- adding flexibility for virtual supervision.
Based on feedback received from the skilled trades sector, NSAA expects that these changes to be positive overall for both apprentices and journeypersons. Journeypersons will be able to support an additional apprentice and apprentices will be able to learn alongside one another.
If industries identify a need for a ratio other than 1:2, the provision to change the ratio in a specific trade still exists to allow for that change. For clarity, the amendments will remove all references to the ratio in specific trade regulations, except for when the ratio is different than 1:2. Some trades already have a ratio of 1:2 and other trades have a ratio higher than 1:2; there will be no changes to the ratio for those trades.
NSAA says that this solution, coupled with other efforts to modernize the apprenticeship system and attract skilled workers, will have a positive impact on our ability to respond to the labour market.
For more detail on the changes that will be posted soon, please refer to the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act General Regulations found here: https://www.novascotia.ca/just/regulations/regs/atqgenrl.htm
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