Our Stories
Since the spring school term ended in April 2017, 40 recent graduates of Atlantic Canadian post-secondary institutions have started their careers at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard. The 40 graduates join the Shipyard’s more than 1,500 shipbuilders who are hard at work maintaining and building the Royal Canadian Navy’s current and future fleets.
The new hires, graduates of the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), Dalhousie University and Memorial University, will be employed at the Halifax Shipyard as electricians, pipefitters, ironworkers, welders, and engineers. Being hired at the Halifax Shipyard creates an opportunity for the recent graduates to contribute to a career defining project building ships for Canada, and live in Atlantic Canada.
Among the 40 new hires, 16 received education bursaries from the Irving Shipbuilding Centre of Excellence at NSCC.
The Irving Shipbuilding Centre of Excellence at NSCC was created to provide opportunities and support for Nova Scotians to find careers in shipbuilding, with a focus on underrepresented communities. 15 of the 16 recent hires who received bursaries are graduates of the Irving Shipbuilding—Women Unlimited program, which provides training and employment opportunities for women. The second class of Women Unlimited is now underway.
Halifax Shipyard currently employs more than 300 apprentices, the most of any employer in Nova Scotia. The average total compensation, including base salary and benefits, of tradespeople at Halifax Shipyard is more than $70,000 per year.
It is forecasted that the Halifax Shipyard will recruit for more than 375 positions in 2017, creating opportunities for new graduates through to experienced shipbuilders. During peak construction of the next generation of Canadian Surface Combatants, Halifax Shipyard’s workforce will increase to more than 2,400.
