WHEREAS there is expected to be a significant growth in job opportunities in British Columbia in the next decade, with a specific demand for trades and technology occupations; AND WHEREAS the provincial government has implemented a 10-year action plan for skills training for youth and older workers seeking to retrain; AND WHEREAS the 2014 provincial budget included no additional funding for skills training: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be requested to provide a funding commitment to enhance and improve training facilities and expand opportunities for youth training in trades and technology.
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism Skills Training, Minister Responsible for Labour The Government of British Columbia is working with our partners in education and industry to make sure our education and training programs are aligned with demands of our future labour market. Government currently invests almost 7.6 billion each year in education and training. Re-engineering our system doesnt mean spending more, it means targeting more of the substantial resources already available to meet labour market priorities. Through the Skills for Jobs Blueprint government is making the most effective use of existing resources and future investments and encouraging more students to choose training that leads to high demand jobs and to consider relocating to parts of B.C. where work and training are readily available. By 20172018, 25 per cent of provincial operating grants to public post-secondary institutions 270 million will be aligned to training that matches with high demand occupations and jobs. The expanded BC Access Grant makes trades training more accessible for students in financial need, offering eligible students up to 16,400 in non-repayable funding to study in-demand foundation trades programs. In 2014, government invested 6.8 million to fund an additional 1,424 critical trades seats at 14 public post-secondary institutions around B.C. In 2015, these new seats will be coming online, making it even easier for individuals to get the training for in-demand jobs. The Ministries of Education and Advanced Education have budgeted 585M in capital expenditures in 201415 alone. Through the Blueprint, 185M is being directed over three years toward trades training infrastructure and equipment, with construction already underway on two new multi-million trades training facilities on Vancouver Island and in the Okanagan to ensure students are learning these new skills on up-to-date equipment. New resources like Find Your Fit and updated WorkBC.ca tools are getting more British Columbians, particularly youth, interested and aware of in-demand occupations like the skilled trades and efforts to double the number of ACE-IT seats will help students get training, experience and credits before they graduate high school. As well, through the Canada BC Job Fund, 65 million is going annually, over the next six years, to leverage employer investments in training and to increase the workforce participation of underrepresented groups.