How Can We Help You?
Getting to Know Your Nova Scotia Automotive Sector Council
By Nikki Barnett, Operations Manager
The Automotive Sector Council (ASC) has been exceptionally busy this year, launching multiple projects to help address labour market challenges in a way that will make a long-term positive impact in industry. Activities cut across human resource planning, attraction & retention and Training.
Are you looking for training? A brand-new training portal, Marketplace, was launched in June 2021. This platform is for motive power industry employers and employees in NS to access online training. The ASC has leveraged their partnership with developer Bluedrop Training & Simulation to build this platform to offer courses that are responsive to the motive power industry’s critical needs. Courses will range from business management, human resources, and safety to technical and certification, currently under development. Worker Passports will allow employers and employees to view, download and share certificates of course completion. Feedback and testimonials from training participants and site visitors will help steer ASC for future course material on this dynamic Marketplace platform. Please visit automotivens.skillspass.com to register.
Are you looking for employees? The Automotive Sector Council Motive Power Career Portal launches in the fall of 2021. The portal is not just a job board and resume builder but also a personality assessment tool. Job-seekers, apprentices and students who sign up learn about their attitudes and aptitudes, learn about career paths in the motive power Industry and are matched with open career opportunities that closely match their strengths and interests. Once signed up, there is information on training pathways and careers in industry incorporating expanding services and new technology. For employers who post jobs on the portal, they don’t just receive applications and resumes, they will receive an applicant’s job fit score and likelihood of success in the role. Applicants with a higher fit score are likely to onboard faster and stay longer, reducing the time and cost employers spend on recruitment. For more information and to sign up, visit Autotrades.jobtimize.com/landing/
Would you hire a summer student? TestDrive 2021 is wrapping up for another year. The ASC’s TestDrive program began in 2012 and offers grade 10-and-11 high school students the opportunity to experience motive power trades in Nova Scotia. Students can earn three co-op credits, 300 apprenticeship hours towards trade certification, training experience at Nova Scotia Community College and a paid summer work placement with an employer. The experience creates career awareness for students and starts them on a path to apprenticeship. The program is currently offered in four regional school districts where, in the fall, high school teachers may arrange class presentations. Student applications are accepted in the winter. Employers in the motive power industry are financially incentivized to employ students. Grant applications for employers will be available this winter. For more details, please visit AutomotiveSectorCouncil.ca/TestDrive.
The Tire and Maintenance Technician (TMT) is a brand-new certification created by industry for industry. The Automotive Sector Council in partnership with industry representatives and employers from Nova Scotia’s motive power industry identified the core skills required to work as a certified TMT. Job seekers with an interest in the motive power industry, with or without formal training, can be assessed for required competencies and fit with the new industry position, trained and certified within a few months for this entry-level position. The applicant’s assessment process, Recognizing Prior Learning, is a new approach to assessing and earning credits for individuals with what they may have already learned at work, through study, in community, through personal activities and at home. It identifies any gaps in knowledge and skill and recommends any necessary additional training. Training components are delivered online and hands-on. If individuals complete the assessment and any recommended training, they may be certified by an Industry assessor. The Tire and Maintenance Technician pilot program intends to assess 8-10 diverse candidates beginning April 1, 2022, and every subsequent tire season moving forward. Soon, the program will be recruiting keen experienced individuals in the sector to train as assessors. Details will be published in the next issue of the Auto & Trucking Atlantic. For more information and to inquire about hiring graduates, please visit AutomotiveSectorCouncil.ca under Get Started.
Are you looking for employees this tire season? The ASC’s Pathways to Success is about to begin its first pilot. Pathways to Success is a preparation training program, in partnership with equity-seeking groups, for diverse jobseekers to enter the motive power industry workplace. Jobseekers with interest in the industry, with or without formal training, can be assessed for fit, trained and certified within a few months for this entry-level position. If individuals complete the assessment and recommended online and in-person training, they may be certified as Tire and Maintenance Technicians. The program was designed to increase recruitment and retention in the Motive Power Industry while reducing barriers to entry. The pilot program has a goal to assess 8-10 candidates by September 13, 2021 and ready for employment by October 11, 2021. For more information, application and to inquire about hiring graduates, please visit AutomotiveSectorCouncil.ca.
Not sure who the Automotive Sector Council are? Check us out at AutomotiveSectorCouncil.ca
