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Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick
Receives approval to implement the NB Tourism Workforce Development Plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fredericton, NB – May 28, 2021 - The Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick (TIANB) is pleased to announced that it has received funding to move forward and implement the NB Workforce Development Plan.
“The tourism industry is facing a workforce shortage that is affecting the growth of our industry,” said Ginette Doiron, Chair of the association.
Thanks to the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), TIANB is moving forward with implementing the NB Workforce Development Plan to help our tourism operators find the skilled workers they will need now and in the future.
“New Brunswick is facing significant labor force challenges throughout our many sectors,” said Trevor Holder, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour. “With our aging demographics and our need for workers, Workforce Development Plans are critical to ensuring the various sectors are prepared to address these challenges. For that reason we are supporting this project with funding and WorkingNB’s labour market expertise.”
“Our message to the tourism industry is clear: we’ve got your back,” said the Honourable Dominic Leblanc, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Member of Parliament for Beauséjour. “As we prepare to open safely, we will continue to support businesses and organizations through sound and strategic investments. The Government of Canada is proud to support TIANB in this initiative to strengthen the industry and grow a skilled workforce.”
“Before COVID-19, our industry was facing a major workforce shortage,” said Carol Alderdice, President and CEO. “And since Canada has lost over 500,000 tourism jobs because of COVID-19, it will be even harder to fill the required skilled positions when things get back to normal.”
TIANB is working with government and associations across the province to support their efforts in delivering on the plan, including the Department of Education and Childhood Development that have included tourism in the curriculum for students from Grade 6 to 12 in their efforts of promoting tourism as a career.
“Our students need more hands-on opportunities to explore a variety of career paths and gain experiences and skills they can use to their advantage in post-secondary learning or when they join the workforce,” said Dominic Cardy, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “This partnership with TIANB will allow both anglophone and francophone students across the province to experience the realities of the tourism industry through experiential learning opportunities —both virtually and in-person— while increasing community connections, engagement and understanding.”
TIANB is also working with the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture on a Recovery Plan and labour shortage is one of the pillars of the plan.
“In the development of the tourism recovery and growth plan for the province, the tourism industry indicated a significant need to build support and interest in tourism as a career to fill the talent pipeline for the future,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace. “We are happy to work with TIANB in the implementation of this plan to meet the ever-changing needs of the tourism industry in these difficult times but also in the growth of the industry in our province.”
In 2019, the tourism industry in New Brunswick supports over 30,000 employees and represented close to 9% of the province’s labour force. Visitors spent roughly $1.6 billion dollars in New Brunswick. The tourism share of provincial GDP ranked with the combined share of agriculture, forestry, fishery and mining in New Brunswick’s economy.
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For more information please contact
Carol Alderdice
Paul Bradley
Communications, PETL
Ann Kenney
Communications, ACOA NB
Flavio Nienow
Communications Officer, EECD
Erika Jutras
Communications, THC