Nova Scotia’s Labour and Advanced Education Minister Labi Kousoulis recently announced the removal of tuition fees for apprentices attending technical training in the province. This includes online training. Nova Scotia’s apprenticeship system is administered by the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency.
Technical training is a requirement of the apprenticeship program, and is needed for apprentices to progress to certification. Apprentices typically complete a six to 10-week level of technical training after every 1,800 hours of on-the- job training, until they become certified in their trade.
The removal of apprenticeship technical training tuition – applied beginning with September’s classes – is expected to save apprentices up to $900 per year. Tuition for technical training ranges from $540-$900 a year, depending on the number of weeks of training needed. Training typically ranges from six to 10 weeks.
Approximately 2,200 apprentices in the province attend technical training each year. Depending on the trade, apprentices may be required to attend technical training over three, four, or five years.
Apprentices who had already paid tuition for September’s training were to be reimbursed, including the upfront fee paid to the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency at the point of enrolment.
The cost to the province/taxpayers was budgeted at $1.3 M a year to support the removal of tuition.
The Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency recently aligned training in the Atlantic region to make it easier for apprentices from New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador to take their technical training there. The removal of tuition will apply to any apprentice attending technical training in the province, although the Agency ensures that Nova Scotia apprentices are served first before enrolling any apprentice from out of province.
