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New funding is being invested in thousands of youth, women and under-represented groups to get the training and support they need for apprenticeships and employment in the skilled trades.

Today, the province announced that $12.4 million will support seven new programs to help 2,036 women and other under-represented groups access opportunities for pre-apprenticeship training, apprenticeship services and employment.

Additionally, an estimated 1,300 secondary students throughout B.C. will benefit from access to trades training, with $1.37 million to fund Industry Training Authority (ITA) Youth Work in Trades programs at 51 school districts and several independent schools. The Sooke School District will receive $30,0000 (see the full list below).

The ITA is providing $12.4 million in supports for women and other under-represented groups, with funding provided through the Canada-BC Workforce Development Agreement. The programs increase access to opportunities for apprenticeship training, apprenticeship services and employment.

Funding for the Youth Work in Trades programs comes from the ITA’s annual youth budget. It is a dual credit program for students in grades 10-12 that allows them to earn credits towards high school graduation and begin the paid work-based training component of an apprenticeship.

Highlights

• The 2018 Labour Market Outlook projected nearly 71,000 trades job openings in the province through 2028.
• Trades careers where skilled workers are in demand include millwrights, heavy-duty mechanics and carpenters.
• November is Apprenticeship Recognition Month in B.C.

Additional Resources

• Industry Training Authority: https://www.itabc.ca/
• Canada-BC Workforce Development Agreement programming: www.workbc.ca/Employment-Services/Labour-Market-Programs/Workforce-Development-Agreement-programs-informati.aspx
• WorkBC: www.workbc.ca/

A backgrounder follows.

Programs support youth and women in trades

Six service providers will receive a total of $12.4 million for two-year contracts to support women and other under-represented groups in the trades to access opportunities for pre-apprenticeship training, apprenticeship services and employment.

The contracts started in September 2019.

Women in Trades Training Programs:

• BC Construction Association: $1,303,178 for Skilled Trades Employment Program
• BC Federation of Labour: $2,354,800 for BC Centre for Women in The Trades
• Camosun College: $1,580,000 for Women in Trades Training Program
• Excel Career College: $492,525 for Practical Approach to Women in Trades Program
• Okanagan College: $1,537,492 for Women in Trades Training Program
• Thompson Rivers University: $740,192 for EmpowerHER: Attract, Recruit, Retain Women in Trades Training Program

Equity Seeking Groups in Trades Training Programs:

• BC Construction Association: $4.4 million for Skilled Trades Employment Program

Fifty-one school districts and independent schools are receiving a total of $1.37 million for Youth Work in Trades Programs for the 2019-20 school year:

(School district/community/amount):

8 Kootenay Lake: $20,000
19 Revelstoke: $20,000
20 Kootenay-Columbia: $20,000
22 Vernon: $20,000
23 Central Okanagan: $40,000
27 Cariboo-Chilcotin: $20,000
28 Quesnel: $20,000
33 Chilliwack: $30,000
34 Abbotsford: $40,000
35 Langley: $40,000
36 Surrey: $40,000
37 Delta: $40,000
38 Richmond: $40,000
39 Vancouver: $40,000
40 New Westminster: $30,000
41 Burnaby: $40,000
42 Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows: $40,000
43 Coquitlam: $40,000
45 West Vancouver: $30,000
46 Sunshine Coast: $20,000
47 Powell River: $20,000
48 Sea to Sky: $20,000
49 Central Coast: $10,000
51 Boundary: $10,000
52 Prince Rupert: $20,000
53 Okanagan Similkameen: $20,000
54 Bulkley Valley: $20,000
57 Prince George: $30,000
58 Nicola-Similkameen: $20,000
59 Peace River South: $20,000
60 Peace River North: $30,000
61 Greater Victoria: $40,000
62 Sooke: $30,000
63 Saanich: $30,000
64 Gulf Islands: $20,000
67 Okanagan Skaha: $20,000
68 Nanaimo Ladysmith: $30,000
69 Qualicum: $20,000
70 Alberni: $20,000
71 Comox Valley: $30,000
72 Campbell River: $20,000
73 Kamloops/Thompson: $30,000
75 Mission: $30,000
78 Fraser-Cascade: $20,000
79 Cowichan Valley: $30,000
81 Fort Nelson: $20,000
82 Coast Mountains: $20,000
83 North Okanagan-Shuswap: $30,000
84 Vancouver Island West: $10,000
85 Vancouver Island North: $20,000
91 Nechako Lakes: $10,000

Independent schools: $40,000

Related

• Camosun College partners with VIU on women in trades programs to build a stronger workforce
• Opening doors to trades training for youth, women
• Sooke tradeswoman Mary-Anne Bowcott named 2018 CCA Person of the Year
• BC Construction Association launches “Don’t be a tool” campaign
• BC Tradeswomen Society president calls for ‘real change’ to address systemic discrimination
• Builders Code program aims to make construction workforce 10 per cent women by 2028
• New Apprenticeship Incentive grant for women to help them get certified in Red Seal trades
• Scholarships creating opportunities for women in tech
• New Crown Corp oversees infrastructure projects, priority opportunities for Indigenous, women and youth
• Province funds Achieve Anything, a program promoting women in trades
• Sooke journeyperson Mary-Anne Bowcott named as a Construction Leadership Award Winner 2018
• Women seeking careers in the trades get a provincial boost
• Camosun hosts a Women in Trades and Technology event for local high schools
• BC Tradeswomen Society wants to share this message from Chicago
• Report looking at women in the trades says on-the-job harassment has to stop
• Women trades workers still seriously under-represented
• What does a Women in the Trades look like?
• VIDEO: Girl demonstrates oil change
• Celebrating women in trades and technology
• Feature Entrepreneur: Mary-Ann Bowcott, Westcom Plumbing and Heating