A $3.2M investment from Irving Shipbuilding has allowed Nova Scotia Community College’s (NSCC) Akerley Campus to modernize and grow capacity within its welding and metal fabrication shops.
The investment added 20 new welding booths in the campus’s welding shop (C166), as well as new equipment and an enhanced mechanical and electrical built environment. In the metal fabrication shop (D102), the investment added new state-of-the-art equipment for metal fabrication training, as well as updated mechanical and electrical distribution systems.
The College hosted an official announcement at the campus on August 4, 2026, where signage celebrating the investment was unveiled, renaming the spaces as the Irving Shipbuilding Welding Shop and the Irving Shipbuilding Metal Fabrication Shop.
Marine skilled trades professionals continue to be one of the greatest workforce needs in Nova Scotia and across Canada. NSCC is responding with strong training capacity and industry aligned programs. Thanks to Irving Shipbuilding’s tremendous investment, the College has been able to better meet the demand.
“Irving Shipbuilding is proud to be supporting not only the modernization of the welding and fabrication shops at NSCC, but also the next generation of trades workers in Nova Scotia,” says Dirk Lekso, President, Irving Shipbuilding. “These state-of-the-art shops and tools will provide students with the best possible environment to learn and hone their trade, strengthening an already growing capability in Atlantic Canada.”
NSCC Acting President Anna Burke says that the College is proud to continue to foster its close and longstanding partnership with Irving Shipbuilding. “Thanks to this multi-million-dollar investment, the College can build on its ability to ensure major operations like Irving Shipbuilding, and the marine industry in general, can benefit from the training those resources provide students coming to the College to prepare for this vital sector.”
Nova Scotia Labor, Skills and Immigration Minister Nolan Young said, “Nova Scotia’s economy depends on a strong skilled trades workforce, and partnerships like this help ensure we’re training the workers employers need today and in the future. Through NSCC’s Institute of Skilled Trades, we’re expanding opportunities for more Nova Scotians to pursue rewarding careers in the trades, and Irving Shipbuilding’s investment will help give students access to modern equipment and hands-on learning opportunities that prepare them for success.”
Irving Shipbuilding and the College’s ongoing partnerships include the Irving Shipbuilding Centre of Excellence, supporting the Pathways to Shipbuilding program, which provides access to education, training and jobs for Women, Indigenous Peoples and Black Canadians, groups which have been under-represented in shipbuilding, as well as the Irving Shipbuilding Marine Trades Initiative, a three-year customized training initiative supporting 80 learners. By offering free tuition for learners across three marine trades programs: welding, metal fabrication and pipe trades, this initiative removes financial barriers to high-quality training, opens doors for more Nova Scotians to enter high demand trades and helps address critical labor shortages in the marine sector. Many students have completed valuable work term experience with Irving Shipbuilding. Graduates meeting the hiring criteria may be considered for employment with Irving Shipbuilding.
