An innovative, engaging tour exhibition is ready to hit the road, visiting more than 25 communities in Northern B.C. to connect with young people and their families, educating them on labour market trends and the multitude of career opportunities in our province.

JobFest is a rock-concert themed mobile event that is designed to get youth and young adults excited about their futures, while teaching them about the various tools and resources government has developed to support them in their quest to find their perfect career - like the job trend tracker, which provides youth with analytics to help them select a career with good employment prospects.

The exhibit features a rock band, local community talent and speakers, two giant tents that look like amplifiers - one that will showcase the online career resources and tools, and one that is set up as a temporary tattoo parlour, where youth can select a removable tattoo of their chosen career and listen to a short presentation about that career while having the tattoo applied - and more.

JobFest will officially launch on April 18 in Abbotsford during the Skills Canada BC provincial competition. It will tour Northern B.C., visiting rural and remote communities until the beginning of July, with a tour of Southern B.C. slated to begin in August. JobFest is funded through the Canada - British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement.

Quotes:

Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation -

"British Columbia's youth are vital to our economic future, and it's important that they have access to the information needed to make a smart decision about their future career. JobFest brings labour market and career information, tools and resources to them, and delivers it in a fun and engaging way."

Quick Facts:

• Over 50 highlighted career videos will be showcased during the JobFest tour.
• Over the next decade, British Columbia is projected to have over one million job openings. The BC Jobs Plan will ensure the over $500 million provided annually for labour market and training programs is targeted to meeting regional and industry labour market needs.

Learn More:

To learn more about JobFest, visit: www.jobfest2012.ca

Check out more of JTI's Labour Market Information initiatives:

• Job Trend Tracker: www.bcjobtrendtracker.ca
• Build-a-Career: www.buildacareer.ca
• Career Explorers: www.careerexplorers.ca

Looking for a one-stop resource for the working world? Visit WorkBC: http://www.workbc.ca/

Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan: http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/

A backgrounder follows.

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-7104

BACKGROUNDER

March 29, 2012 Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

Government support for skills training

• Over the next decade, there will be over one million job openings in British Columbia. There will be over 350,000 new jobs expected, and growth in the demand for workers will exceed the growth in available supply by 61,500 by 2020.
• The BC Jobs Plan will ensure the over $500 million provided annually for labour market and training programs is targeted to meeting regional and industry labour market needs.
• Government invests over $100 million annually in industry training through the Industry Training Authority (ITA) - the provincial Crown agency responsible for overseeing B.C.'s industry training and apprenticeship system. This investment is almost $33 million (or 45 per cent) higher than it was in 2004 when the ITA was established.
• There are currently more than 32,000 apprentices in the system - more than double the number of apprentices registered when ITA was created in 2004.
• Through the ITA, the Province has increased apprenticeship training seats from 18,098 spaces in 2005-06 to almost 22,000 spaces in 2011-12 - an increase of 22 per cent.
• Aboriginal participation in apprenticeship training at public post-secondary institutions increased 103 per cent between 2006 and 2011. For 2011-12 fiscal year, the ITA will invest over $3.13 million (Labour Market Agreement funding) in Aboriginal initiatives trades training programs.
• B.C. also invests approximately $66 million a year - between 2008 and 2014 - in services that help people get the skills they need to fill job opportunities in regions where they live and study. These services are funded through the Canada-BC Labour Market Agreement (LMA).
• The Province has created Regional Workforce Tables, which bring people together to discuss how to best align training programs to meet regional needs. Representation on the tables include key leaders from industry, labour, employers, First Nations, educators, training service providers, economic development organizations and others. Work is already underway on this initiative in the Northwest and Northeast.
• Through the Ministry of Advanced Education (AVED), government has contributed approximately $165 million since 2001 toward capital projects and equipment for the delivery of trades training in public post-secondary institutions.
• Since 2007-08, government has supported foundation programs at public post-secondary institutions, through AVED. These pre-apprenticeship programs are open to individuals who do not yet have an apprenticeship employer or a sponsor. In 2011-12, AVED provided nearly $1.8 million in support of almost 400 foundation training spaces at nine public post-secondary institutions.

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-7104