More than 30 Aboriginal communities in partnership with 14 public post-secondary education institutions are delivering education and skills training programs to help 581 Aboriginal learners secure jobs in sectors facing a demand for skilled workers.

Forestry sector representatives met with the federal and provincial governments to discuss skilled-labour initiatives and human-resource planning, as part of a series of roundtables being held over coming months with sectors highlighted in the BC Jobs Plan.

The Province has extended the reduced fee in place for log exports in the Mid-Coast Timber Supply Area for one more year (to January 2017) to support forestry jobs in the area.

Finance Minister Michael de Jong recently travelled to China and India to strengthen cultural, social and economic ties and promote British Columbia’s ongoing economic stability.

December’s Job Makers showcase Vancouver Island employers and businesses who are helping to grow the area’s economy.

When the holiday season rolls around, it’s easy to forget that without B.C. resources such as wood products and minerals, many of the gifts you see would not be sitting under your Christmas tree.

Local businesses from around Vancouver Island gathered to hear about British Columbia’s economic success and progress made to-date thanks to the BC Jobs Plan as well as for an announcement on a new Labour Market Partnership Project with Vancouver Island manufacturers. 

In the bustling port city of Dalian, about 450 kilometres southeast of Beijing, British Columbia sometimes doesn’t seem all that far away. Delegates from the 2015 Forestry Asia Trade Mission experienced that feeling first-hand as they toured two factories where B.C. lumber is manufactured into products for the Chinese marketplace.