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Strategic Plan

Our plan targets housing construction workforce challenges through comprehensive human resource planning, cross-sector collaboration, and workforce development.

Prioritizing the Future of Construction

We’ve identified four cross-cutting priorities that are woven throughout each pillar, reflecting the common themes essential to advancing our work. These priorities ensure a comprehensive approach, tackling the sector’s challenges and opportunities while focusing on sustainability, innovation, and community building. 

Strategic Pillars

  • Establishing a growth plan informed by sector needs, ensuring the right skills and competencies are in place to meet future demands.
  • Strengthening the Council’s organization structure to include more representation, integration and collaboration across industry, government and community to ensure more effective human resource planning, resource allocation and strategic alignment.
  • Strengthening workforce planning by leveraging Labour Market Information (LMI) to address sector changes and workforce impacts.
  • Developing a coordinated strategy to attract potential workforce members, including youth, new immigrants, and underrepresented groups, through targeted outreach and industry engagement. Position the sector among all industries to compete for and attract the best talent available from Nova Scotia’s youth and young adult populations and from those migrating and immigrating to Nova Scotia from elsewhere in Canada and around the world.
  • Collaborating with high schools and career pathway programs to engage early with future talent and ensure sector-specific information is accessible. Expanding Secondary School visits and classroom presentations to 120 per year and by the end of year 3 we will have engaged with every O2 program in Nova Scotia.
  • Secure funding for Youth Navigator enhancing outreach and engagement capacity with NS youth through virtual reality headsets, higher secondary school visit/presentation rates.
  • Increasing industry participation in hands-on learning opportunities and improving employer confidence in creating inclusive workplaces to retain talent.
  • Expanding training and certification programs, including innovative micro-credentialing and competency-based learning frameworks, to better align with industry needs.
  • Supporting continuous professional development through recognized training standards and assessments, such as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and certification upgrades.
  • Building effective partnerships among industry constituents, government, and training providers to collaboratively address barriers and enhance sector participation.
  • Encouraging sustained collaboration among Sector Council members and leveraging partner support and capacity to maximize the impact of HR development for small- to-medium employers (SME).
  • Enhancing industry-government collaboration to adapt to changing training and regulatory requirements and drive sector growth.
  • Integration of environmentally sustainable building practices and standards, such as Net Zero and energy efficiency, to promote equitable housing development that meets diverse community needs.
  • Commitment to environmental stewardship by incorporating green building techniques and reducing the environmental impact of new housing projects within the sector.
  • Promotion and support of Net Zero and energy-efficient standards in housing developments, aligning with sustainability goals and contributing to climate resilience.
  • Engagement in efforts to increase awareness, education, and adoption of sustainable practices within the housing sector to build environmentally conscious communities.
  • Development of strategies, programs, and partnerships that integrate sustainability into the core activities of the housing sector, ensuring a responsible and resource-efficient approach to housing development.

Cross-Cutting Priorities

  • Building effective partnerships among industry constituents, government, and training providers to collaboratively address barriers and enhance sector participation.
  • Encouraging sustained collaboration among Sector Council members and leveraging partner support and capacity to maximize the impact of HR development for small- to-medium employers (SME).
  • Enhancing industry-government collaboration to adapt to changing training and regulatory requirements and drive sector growth.
  • Promoting inclusive hiring and retention practices within the industry through targeted frameworks and initiatives.
  • Increasing engagement with equity-deserving communities, women, and other underrepresented groups to boost sector diversity.
  • Enhancing cultural competence and DEIA competence among employers in the housing construction sector to create welcoming, supportive workplaces.
  • Improving communications between the housing construction industry and constituents through enhanced web-based support and networking opportunities.
  • Raising awareness of HR development resources and recruitment supports to better align workforce planning and training delivery with sector needs.
  • Utilizing social media and digital platforms to increase industry engagement, networking, and sharing of best practices.
  • Developing innovative approaches to training, such as micro-credentialing and flexible learning options, to meet evolving workforce needs.
  • Supporting industry capacity-building for future trends, including Net Zero building practices, mass timbre, modular and manufactured housing, 3D printing, and an aging workforce, through targeted resources and guidance.
  • Promoting succession planning and the retention of older workers by highlighting opportunities and creating adaptable work environments.

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