The
Saskatchewan
Century
Corps

The Problem

There is an unemployment crisis and also a worker shortage.

The Promise

The NCP will hire, build, and train the workforce of tomorrow by doing the work of today.

The Plan

The NCP, through direct partnership and discussion with the unions of Saskatchewan, will introduce The Saskatchewan Century Corps Act.

The Act will introduce a new Crown corporation to be known as the Saskatchewan Century Corps (SCC). The SCC will be the Employer of Record (EOR), mandated to employ and train workers in priority sectors. It will operate as a standing public employment guarantee with annual intake and staffing levels set through the provincial budget, Standing Master Agreements, and training capacity.

Annual enrolment and total active staffing will be set by the Legislature or the Cabinet each year. Placement will prioritize residents who are currently unemployed or underemployed, young workers, disabled workers, and displaced workers. Mid-year expansions of staffing will be allowed during certified recessions or major project waves.

The SCC shall act as a pre-apprenticeship feeder program, with all hours worked on certified job sites counting toward official trade qualifications under existing union agreements. It acts as a "merge lane" or a "training hospital" for the new economy. It will deliver both paid, on the job training, as well as in the classroom training, each week that leads to recognized credentials.

• See Policy 09 - Fair Labour for more.

The work done by SCC employees is provided through Standing Master Agreements. The Government of Saskatchewan, through its Crowns, ministries, and agencies, will provide these agreements and contracts to the SCC for work in needed and relevant areas.

Initial Standing Master Agreements will be established with SaskEnergy (ambient loop installation), SaskPower (grid modernization), SaskTel (fibre deployment), Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SaskHomes construction), and the Ministry of Environment (site remediation).

The SCC will have public rate cards, updated and posted regularly, to ensure that the SCC will not underbid qualified bidders. The SCC will not underbid qualified contractors who meet or exceed SCC wage and benefit standards. Where no bidder meets these standards, the SCC may bid to ensure work is performed at fair wages. The SCC will never be the sole permitted bidder on any contract.

Where feasible, secondments and subcontracts will be used. Priority will be given to secondments and subcontracts with public entities, non-profits, and co-ops, and private firms where it supports training, apprenticeships, and local capacity.

All credentialing for designated trades within the SCC shall be governed by a council with majority representation from the relevant provincial trade unions, as appointed by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. The SCC will arrange and pay for training and verified hours during the working loop. Some SCC supervisors will be approved as assessors/validators by the relevant credentialing bodies so they may sign off on hours and competencies.

SCC employment in relevant streams counts toward Century Apprenticeship Program hours. Workers who complete sufficient hours and pass assessments may earn Century Certified credentials while employed by the SCC.

• See Policy 09 - Fair Labour for more.

Energy Veterans who choose the Redeploy pathway may enter the SCC at advanced standing, with their industry experience recognized through Prior Learning Assessment. Energy Veterans in the SCC receive all standard SCC benefits plus their Energy Veterans entitlements (bonus, Debt Shield, pension parity).

• See Policy 10 - Energy Veterans for more.

All SCC remote deployments must strictly adhere to prevailing union-scale per diems, and all travel time to and from remote sites shall be paid at the standard hourly rate. The SCC will be mandated to maintain COR/ISO equivalent safety programs, and OHS representatives must be on the Board.

The SCC will maintain equity targets to ensure participation reflects Saskatchewan's diversity. Initial targets: 50% women across all streams, 20% Indigenous workers, 15% workers with disabilities, 25% workers from rural and northern communities, 30% workers under age 26. Targets will be reviewed annually and adjusted based on outcomes.

Free, Prior, and Informed Consent must be achieved for any and all projects affecting Indigenous lands, waters, communities, or cultures.

• See more in Policy 04 - Reconciliation.

The Compensation:

Employees begin paid employment from day one, including the bootcamp and all training. No SCC employee will be paid less than $30 per hour, with higher scales in skilled occupations. Target pay will be at or above the median wage for comparable work in the sector the SCC employee works in. Premiums will be granted for:

• Rural / Northern placements
• Speaking a second language
• Speaking an Indigenous language
• Hard to staff positions and roles

Initial Corps Streams:

The initial streams of the SCC will be:

• The Saskatchewan Operations and Logistics (O&L) Corps.
• Potential Roles: STC depot operations, provincial warehouse management, fleet maintenance support.
• The Saskatchewan Environmental and Resilience (E&R) Corps.
• Potential Roles: Site remediation, reforestation, FireSmart fuel breaks, flood preparation.
• The Saskatchewan Infrastructure and Housing (I&H) Corps.
• Potential Roles: SaskHomes construction, public housing renovation, municipal infrastructure.

Work will be categorized and distributed through these streams. The curriculum for these streams will be co-developed in partnership with the relevant unions.

The option to become an Emergency Reservist will also be offered to SCC employees on a strictly opt-in basis. These reservists would be given extra training and pay for disaster response. They would then be deployable on declared provincial emergencies. Two paid re-training days a year will be mandatory to stop any skill atrophy.

The Loop:

SCC employees work a 30-hour week. The standard schedule is five 6-hour days: three days on job sites, two days in classroom or lab settings.

SCC employees will go through a loop of employment each year. The loop will start with a Bootcamp of 6 weeks. During this Bootcamp, employees will learn all the regular trainings most jobs require. Things like CPR, First Aid, WHMIS, and more. After that, employees will be given more specific training on how to do their specific job placement.

Following the six-week bootcamp, employees enter the Work/Learn cycle for the remainder of the year. Annual reviews occur on the anniversary of each employee's start date.

In the Work/Learn cycle, 3 days of the week are on a job site, actively working. 2 days of the week are in the lab or classroom for specific instruction, actively learning, and completing credentialed exams.

Each year the employee will go through an annual review. The SCC will assess how satisfied and happy the employee is in their role and its trajectory, and how well they've done in their work. The employee will choose how they want to go forward each year of employment. They may either:

• Continue in the SCC, in the same stream
• Continue in the SCC, in a different stream
• Transition to private sector employment (with SaskJobs support)
• Use their Tuition Vouchers for formal education
• Gain promotion within SCC (become a supervisor/mentor)

Workers who do not meet performance standards will receive additional support and, if needed, reassignment to a different stream. Workers who cannot succeed after reasonable accommodation may be separated from the SCC with full Career Navigator support from SaskJobs to find alternative employment.

Tuition Vouchers:

For every two years of honourable service in the SCC, employees will earn a Tuition Voucher. This Voucher will cover the cost of one full academic year at any public university or trade school in Saskatchewan.

Tuition Vouchers will be designed as a non-taxable education grant under federal tax law. They will expire after 15 years, and cannot be transferred to others.

Tuition Vouchers can be used to pay off existing federal or provincial student loan debt through payment to the NSLSC. Tuition value will be capped by new agreements with public education institutions and unions.

Governance and Union:

A CEO will be appointed to serve at the pleasure of the Board with the Minister's concurrence.

The workers will have the right to organize, and the Province will work with existing unions and bargaining agents to determine the most appropriate representation model. The exact structure will be determined before any work begins.

To be clear, trade credential recognition will be developed in partnership with unions, regulators, and training institutions.

The Board must include representation from:

• Indigenous governing bodies and organizations.
• Labour unions
• Municipalities
• Crowns/ministries (SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel)
• Education partners (the universities and Sask Polytech)
• Safety and OHS

Dashboards will be created and updated weekly to provide stats on SCC work progress, ensuring complete transparency.

The Funding

The SCC will be funded primarily through the General Revenue Fund. Contract revenue from Crown corporations, ministries, and agencies will partially offset operating costs, but the SCC is first and foremost a public workforce and training institution rather than a profit-making entity.

What It Means For You

It means building something real and meaningful.

It means no more desperate job searches.

It means the dignity of building your community.

FAQ

• What is the Saskatchewan Century Corps?
• It is a new Crown corporation that acts as an Employer of Record, hiring and training workers in priority sectors. Think of it as a "training hospital" for the new economy where you get paid from day one to work and learn.


• How much does it pay?
• No SCC employee will be paid less than $30 per hour, with higher scales in skilled occupations. There are also premiums for rural and northern placements, speaking a second language, and hard-to-staff roles.


• What does a typical week look like?
• SCC employees work a 30-hour week. The standard schedule is five 6-hour days: three days on job sites working, and two days in classroom or lab settings learning and completing credentialed exams.


• What are Tuition Vouchers?
• For every two years of honourable service in the SCC, you earn a Tuition Voucher that covers one full academic year at any public university or trade school in Saskatchewan. Tuition Vouchers earned can also be used to pay off existing student loan debt. Be aware that the Vouchers expire after 15 years.


• Can anyone join the SCC?
• Yes. The SCC is open to all, regardless of ability. There are streamlined on-ramps, including accessibility employment tracks with extra supports for those who need them. However, intake and staffing levels will be strictly governed by annual funding capacity determined by the Legislature or Cabinet.


• What happens after each year?
• At your annual review, you choose your path: continue in the same stream, switch to a different stream, transition to private sector employment with SaskJobs support, pursue promotion within the SCC, or if available you can use your Tuition Vouchers to move to formal education.


• Is it unionized?
• The workers will have the right to organize, and the Province will work with existing unions and bargaining agents to determine the most appropriate representation model before work starts.