St. Mary’s First Nation — New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) announced Wednesday that it is taking trades training on the road, with the unveiling of the new Mobile Training Centre aimed at sourcing skilled workers from across the province.
Launched at an event in Sitansisk (St. Mary’s First Nation), opposite the Fredericton side of the St. John River, this classroom on wheels provides 1,000 square-feet of customizable learning space that can be adapted to accommodate training in a variety of sectors, including health care, IT, and skilled trades.
Perhaps most importantly, however, is the fact that this custom-built 53-foot trailer makes training far more accessible to remote and Indigenous communities who may otherwise have difficulty traveling regularly to a college campus.
The project has received support from a number of government entities, with $2 million coming from the province itself, $350,000 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Jobs and Growth Fund, and $440,000 from private sector investors.
“Our province has a tremendous need for skilled workers, and this innovative learning concept will bring training directly to New Brunswickers,” said New Brunswick’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education Trevor Holder.
“We are pleased to partner with NBCC to introduce more flexible training that will help us attract even more people to the trades. We’re excited to see the benefits that this type of training will have on apprentices, newcomers, individuals residing in First Nations communities and those residing in remote communities.”
Similar efforts to deliver skills training straight to potential tradespeople have been made elsewhere in the country, including St. Lawrence College’s Mobile Skills Training Lab which launched in Ontario last year.
