Empowerment for Employment (Fisheries) Project

This project was offered on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore from November 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021 with support from the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF) and Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia (RCFofNS).

The primary purpose of the Empowerment for Employment (Fisheries) Project was to provide an innovative literacy and essential skills training model in collaboration with the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Nova Scotia. The project provided training to help individuals remove barriers to unemployment and improve their literacy and essential skills. Participants who completed the training have better opportunities to become employed, meet the on-the-job demands of the industry, and adapt and succeed at work.

The training used a blended learning approach incorporating classroom, online and on-site training to respond to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19.

Essential Skills for Atlantic Fisheries Project

The Essential Skills for Atlantic Fisheries (ESAF) project addressed the labour market and workforce challenges employers face in the fisheries sector in Atlantic Canada by providing training in the fisheries sector.

ESAF was funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). The project was delivered in partnership with the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick (LCNB), Literacy Nova Scotia (LNS), Newfoundland and Labrador Laubach Literacy Council (NLLLC) and the Prince Edward Island Literacy Alliance (PEILA).

The ESAF cohort #2 began in early February 2020 in the Digby area. Concerns around COVID-19 put the training on hold, but 12 participants completed the classroom portion. Six participants in the program found full time jobs; two in the fisheries. The ESAF project finished in October 2020. LNS has a contract with the Literacy Coalition of NB that allows use of the ESAF curriculum in Nova Scotia until October 2024.








12 Learners participated in the ESAF program.

6 Participants found full-time employment.

2 Employers benefitted from motivated employees trained in the ESAF program.