Nova Scotia Community College paves the way for future financial leaders
Monday, June 17, 2013
As the financial industry in Halifax continues to expand, Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) is playing a critical role in getting the region's future workforce ready for the kinds of careers and challenges they should expect. The college's many programs in data analytics, ship building and financial services are all perfectly designed and catered to the region's economic interests, helping students leave NSCC prepared to fill positions seeing high demand.
Future workers of Nova Scotia
Barbara Powers of NSCC's business department said that the next five years will be a period of mass workforce turnover in Nova Scotia. During that time, the region is expected to see roughly 25 percent of its current professionals retire. This "Silver Tsunami" will leave a wealth of specialized positions available to students in a variety of sectors, making the Halifax region a particularly competitive industry for job searchers of all kinds. NSCC's alumni are already experiencing an 85 percent job placement rate, indicating a strong demand for labour and interest in the college's well-trained graduates, a trend that may increase as more positions open up in the coming years. The college currently offers programs aimed specifically at making students more prepared for the mounting volume of financial services positions that are projected to become available during that time frame, including a 2-year diploma and a 1-year enhanced program to help students gain proficiency and enter the job market much faster.
Improving educational opportunities
NSCC's advanced financial services degrees at its Waterfront Campus are seeing ongoing increases and upgrades, according to The Chronicle Herald. The combined impact of changing workforce demographics and improved overall economic outlook has put Nova Scotia in a position where its demand for skilled workers in finance, technology and specialized positions is forecast to expand substantially over the next decade.
In order to facilitate further educational opportunities, NSCC has even joined up with local universities like Saint Mary's and Mount Saint Vincent to ensure that graduates are able to transfer credits and get expedited acceptance to 4-year programs that will make them even more valuable assets to the Nova Scotia region.
"NSCC's financial services programs unique value proposition is that we successfully determine a very tactical, specialized education which develops literacy while launching a career path with direct industry experience and internship," Powers explained in an interview. "We are less theoretical and far more focused on applied knowledge."