Room To Grow: Join Port Saint John Discussion On Growth And Workforce At Virtual Port Days
SAINT JOHN – Port Saint John is in the middle of a massive transformation—one that promises to position them for performance, which will benefit not only the Port, but the region as a whole.
This year, the Port is reimagining the 60-year-old tradition of the Port Days Conference to offer Saint Johners a rare peek into the future of the port.
While Covid-19 will prevent the Port from holding any in-person sessions, everything that happens at this year’s Port Days will be open to everyone online —and completely free. The event takes place on June 8th.
Paula Copeland, Director of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility at the Port, says the goal this year is to “lift the veil” on the Port and help everyone understand why insiders are so excited about the future.
“The port is something people see every day, and many members of the community have a long history here. But the port has changed a lot over the last 50 years – especially over the last 10. And it’s going to change even more in the next couple of years. So we want to give people a sneak peek into what that Port of Future looks like,” she says.
One of the most exciting sessions this year examines the impact of the West Side Modernization Project poised to be completed in 2023 and how that will add hundreds of jobs to our region.
“We’re in a state of evolution, we’re on the verge of a big change and that will involve the expansion of our city’s workforce, huge technological leaps and increased community collaboration,” Copeland says.
The potential impact on the region from the modernization project is immense. It is predicted that hundreds of jobs will eventually flow from the upgrade—and those jobs will touch many sectors tied to the transportation industry.
There will be opportunities for careers linked to this growth at the Port in highly skilled and cutting-edge technical fields.
“The Province of New Brunswick is committed to a coordinated approach to preparing our local workforce for Port Saint John’s expansion. I am looking forward to participating in Port Days to talk more about how the Province is leading a proactive strategy for workforce development,” says Hon. Trevor Holder, Minister of Post-secondary Education, Training, and Labour, Province of New Brunswick.
Joining Minister Holder will be Envision Saint John CEO Paulette Hicks, who will add to the growth discussion by drawing on her years of industry insight and coalition building.
More information on this year’s Port Days, including other groundbreaking panels, is available here. You can register for free here.