I don't believe that for a second. If construction work is what you want in Halifax, call Twin City Electric. There is no better company to work for in the construction sense as an electrician. They are always hiring(especially controls talent).
I hire 2 local construction electrical groups to work for me in the plants. Both are always looking for skilled people. They say the same as I do here trying to hire, Good help is HARD TO FIND. These are both Construction Contractors. Neither of which have a controls person or Industrial person. (I really have to stop saying guys)
Both have asked if I would work for them and leave my job. Both have a hard time staffing ticketed folks that A, show up every day and B, can run a job without constant babysitting. I hold their hands through all the control stuff and advise on wiring practices such as terminating VFD shields, panel terminations and the like. They are getting better. However, it seems that as they go through Electrician after Electrician, my efforts in giving them experience is continuously walking out. I can see the contractor struggling to send us skill and always hunting for new talent.
Furthermore, you looking to be an Industrial Electrician. There really are not that many around, especially looking for work. To a contractor you might not be worth a lot, to an Industrial facility your priceless. As I said before, I have never been unemployed in Nova Scotia as an electrician, Industrial or Construction.
Get your Rockwell experience, do the labs, put it on your resume and apply to every maintenance department in an area that your interested in being in. It does not even have to be an electrical job. Here, not that I agree with it, but most mechanics, or techs, or whatever you want to call them, from every background is expected to try to fix electrical and on machine related control issues while waiting for help to arrive. At least safely gather what information they can so when help does come, they may offer assistance to make the troubleshooting time shorter. Sometimes they make it much worse but.......
I'm just saying, around here, the walk is what is important. Regardless of what piece of paper is in your hand, if you have a resume in to our facility with your experience on it, your at least getting an interview and likely a job. I like to think that we are pretty standard maintenance department for our size company and most operate similarly. Typically, the jobs I have landed, were not even jobs on postings, but more derived from chance applications, relationships built and attitude/skill displayed along the way beginning on a production line piling up board on a night shift.