Many businesses and industry sectors in the Valley region have workforce challenges.
Some employers say they have trouble finding people with the right skills, qualifications, or experience. Others say they can’t find enough workers, or they can’t find them at the right season, or at the pay scale they’re offering. Others say they have a hard time keeping their employees or recruiting from outside the region or province.
However the problem is described, human resource challenges are a common concern in the Valley, where the rural location and relative wages can make recruitment difficult.
Many industry associations are pursuing strategies to address particular human resource issues in their own sector. The Annapolis Valley also has a strong network of employer services and skills development services available, where employers and job seekers can get help.
At the Valley Regional Enterprise Network, we have established good connections with these local services and we can make personal referrals for business owners and managers, saving you time and helping you find solutions to your human resource challenges.
Through these referrals, we have been able to help employers access wage incentives and recruit staff.
The Valley REN also supports the local labour force and employers in other ways. We chair a regional team of provincial and federal partners that focus on employer engagement and we co-chair a workforce development committee with the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education.
Through these collaborative actions with various services providers, and through the conversations that we are initiating at our new “sector tables,” we are making connections and helping businesses find solutions to their challenges.
How can the Valley REN help your business?
For information or to set up a meeting, please contact James Schofield, Economic Development Officer at the Valley REN.
Phone: 1 (902) 698-9192 or email jschofield@valleyren.ca
The Valley Regional Enterprise Network is a catalyst for economic development in the Annapolis Valley. We believe that in working together, we will find greater opportunities to create a more prosperous region.