(Burnaby) Today’s announcement that a re-elected BC NDP government will make a major investment in training skilled trades workers is a big step forward for BC’s economy, BCFED President Sussanne Skidmore said today.
“This investment will go a long way toward ensuring BC has the skilled workforce we need to meet the challenges of tomorrow. And it'll ensure great opportunities for British Columbians to have rewarding careers in the skilled trades,” Skidmore said.
“This builds on the government’s vital work to rebuild the skilled trades certification and apprenticeship system that John Rustad’s party gutted the last time he was in power.”
The funding announced this morning in Chilliwack would result in more than 24,000 new trades apprenticeships and an increase of $150 million in funding to SkilledTradesBC over three years. The provincial labour market forecast indicates skilled trades will make up a significant portion of the coming decade’s job openings.
“Trades training programs play a central role in recruiting workers who have traditionally been under-represented in the trades, including women, Indigenous workers and racialized workers,” said BCFED Secretary-Treasurer Hermender Singh Kailley. “They include new recruitment strategies, mentorship and financial supports, as well as leading a culture shift on job sites.”
He noted the overwhelming interest in skilled trades among young BC workers, with long waitlists for trades training in many post-secondary and union trades training schools.
Like public post-secondary institutions, union trade schools provide exceptional education opportunities to aspiring tradespeople. Their Red Seal programs — the four-year equivalent of a bachelor’s degree — offer small class sizes, world-class instruction and access to the newest technology. Union trades training institutions have the highest completion rates in BC.
“David Eby and the BC NDP understand what John Rustad never has: skilled trades training and apprenticeships mean a direct pathway to good, family-supporting jobs,” Skidmore said. “And today’s announcement opens that pathway for thousands of BC workers.”