The RBC Foundation is currently funding post-secondary programs in Atlantic Canada to support the development of green skills with an aim to achieve a net-zero economy.
The Atlantic region is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in all of Canada. It also happens to be home to a variety of post-secondary institutions that are currently helping students transition into a greener and more sustainable economy. According to an RBC Economics and Thought Leadership report, over the next decade, up to 3.1 million Canadian jobs will change in some way or another, due to the change in climate. This means that green skills will be required.
To help create a net zero economy, new talent needs to be trained on this front. For this reason, the RBC Foundation is currently donating $2 million to five separate Atlantic region community colleges, which will help equip people with the green skills required for a greener economy and a greener future.
“We recognize the importance both in Atlantic Canada and across the country of helping our workforce keep pace with the rapid technological and operational changes driving the climate transition,” says Chris Ronald, RBC‘s Regional President of Atlantic Provinces. “That’s why we are thrilled that the RBC Foundation is making such a significant donation to students at Atlantic community colleges to help them develop the green skills needed to meet our region’s low-carbon energy targets.”
According to recent reports, Canada’s economy is smaller than it was before the COVID pandemic when adjusted for both immigration and inflation. One approach the government has taken to stimulate the economy post-COVID has been to increase immigration, though immigration has come under political pressure lately so immigration numbers are no longer at the height of post-COVID levels. Learn more details about Canada’s immigration programs.
Three Ways Green Skills Are Being Built in Atlantic Canada
The first aspect the RBC Foundation is funding are programs for wind and solar technicians. The provincial government of Nova Scotia has committed to generating up to 50 percent or more of its total electricity using onshore wind by the year 2030. This new funding will allow the Nova Scotia Community College and the New Brunswick Community College to train more people in this field.
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The RBC Foundation is also funding the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and the College of the North Atlantic with the aim of creating a skilled labour workforce in the EV or electrical vehicle industry.
The third aspect of this project is to fund energy efficiency and retrofit projects. For instance, the Holland College in PEI will create an innovative living lab project, where the goal is to see what it will take to reach a 2040 net-zero target for the province.
These are just some of the ways that the RBC Foundation is working in Atlantic Canada to produce a much higher skilled workforce with green skills that will be able to work towards net-zero emissions. Halifax itself is also investing heavily in green roofs, something else that will help achieve net-zero emissions.
