Twelve moms in northern British Columbia are currently taking a tuition-free 12-week mining program for women, as the B.C. government invests nearly $88,000 into an Employment Skills Access (ESA) initiative at Northern Lights College through the BC Jobs Plan.

The Mothers to Miners program is being offered at the college's Tumbler Ridge campus, and is focusing on preparing local women for entry-level positions at a surface mine operation - which includes being trained for haul truck driving.

To give local working mothers a better opportunity to participate in the mining industry, the local coal mine created a shift that is designed around the district's school schedule, ensuring that moms can still take their kids to and from school. Six women have already taken the first round of training through Mothers to Miners, wrapping up their training earlier this month - and a second group of six women are just starting the training.

Under the same ESA initiative, an additional $101,000 is supporting 12 seats in a 12-week mining fundamentals program for men and women at the college's Chetwynd campus, creating further opportunity for women in Northern B.C. to enter the mining industry. A second cohort of six participants is currently underway, and will wrap up in September.

The Employment Skills Access (ESA) initiative provides eligible participants with tuition-free, group-based training at public post-secondary institutions throughout the province in order to prepare them for entry or re-entry into the labour market. ESA is funded through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement.

Quotes:

Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation -

"Women continue to play an important role in the trades here in B.C. and it's important that they continue to be supported and encouraged to enter the labour workforce. A training program like Mothers to Miners is a great example of the type of flexible program that meets the unique needs of women, so they can contribute to our growing provincial economy."

Blair Lekstrom, MLA for Peace River South -

"In rural and remote B.C. we need more women to enter the trades industry, particularly in trades that are expected to see an increase in job vacancies, like mining. The Mothers to Miners program at Northern Lights College is giving women in Northern B.C. a chance to enter a trades training program, while still meeting the demands of their busy family life."

Brent M. Deinstadt, acting president and CEO, Northern Lights College -

"This program is an excellent example of how the ministry has combined innovation with education to address both the needs of industry and the local community to deliver a skilled and diverse workforce."

"The Mothers to Miners Program is designed to assist "Mothers" to become gainfully employed in otherwise unobtainable and desirable mining positions, and this funding will be used to provide training for 24 women, who, upon successful completion, will become part of the workforce team at Peace River Coal."

Quick Facts:

• The Industry Training Authority, in collaboration with community, post-secondary and industry service providers, is supporting initiatives to encourage and support more women to pursue a career in the trades.
• There are 3,510 registered women apprentices in B.C. (as of April 30, 2012), representing 10.2 per cent of all registered apprentices - this is up from 8.5 per cent in 2009.
• 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.
• During this period, occupations in mining are expected to start experiencing shortages of workers.
• One-half of the proposed mines in Canada are located in B.C. Under the BC Jobs Plan, the government has committed to opening eight new mines and nine upgrades and expansions to currently operating mines.
• According to Status of Women Canada, women make up approximately 45 per cent of the labour force in rural and remote areas of Canada.

Learn More:

To find out more about the Women in Trades Training initiative in B.C., visit the Industry Training Authority's website: http://www.itabc.ca/Page955.aspx

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

Canada/British Columbia Labour Market Agreement: http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/labourmarketagreement/

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

Contact:

Media Relations
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-8177