Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, received a mandate letter from Premier Christy Clark on June 10, 2013, that included direction to "review the role and function of the Industry Training Authority (ITA)".

The ministry will begin the review of the ITA this fall, to ensure the ITA is meeting its mandate and reaching the targets and outcomes needed to help British Columbians develop the skills needed to be first in line for jobs.

An independent review leader will be announced and start work in September. The leader will examine the ITA's mandate, functions and outcomes achieved to-date, and its interactions with its key system partners (industry training organizations, government ministries, and public and private training providers, and private sector unions). The review will provide government with recommendations to improve and strengthen:

• Oversight and governance of the industry training system.

• Strategic leadership of the system.

• Outcomes that will provide more skilled workers across B.C.

• ITA's overall service delivery model of the apprenticeship system in B.C. (from pre-apprenticeship through to certification).

• Partnerships and engagement with educators, industry, private sector unions, and other stakeholders.

The independent review leader's report must be submitted to government by the end of November 2013.

A recently released report lays out the many opportunities for economic prosperity over the next 10 years stemming from the growth of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other key sectors. It is expected that the LNG sector alone will require 60,000 workers during peak construction and 75,000 workers (direct and indirect jobs throughout the province) once five anticipated LNG plants are fully operational.

The ITA review will provide government with vital information that will help to ensure the province has a strategic, co-ordinated, and responsive industry-training system that is achieving the outcomes required to ensure employers and industry have the right number of skilled trades people at the right place and at the right time, and that British Columbians can take full advantage of job openings in their communities.

Quick Facts:

• Over the next decade, there will be more than one million job openings in British Columbia, 43 per cent of which are expected to be trades or technical occupations.

• The ITA oversees, manages and works to continually improve B.C.'s industry-led trades training system. It works closely with sector bodies called industry training organizations, and public and private training institutions to ensure that the training system is responsive to employer needs, in each workplace, and in the labour market as a whole. With these partners, along with employers, industry and labour, the ITA issues trades credentials, manages apprenticeships, sets program standards, and increases opportunities in the trades in B.C.

• There are currently about 35,000 registered apprentices in the industry training system (including youth) - an increase of 1,000 over last February, and more than double the number of apprentices registered when ITA was created in 2004.

• Seat capacity in ITA-funded apprenticeship programs has increased by 19 per cent over the last six years, from 18,098 spaces in 2005/06 to over 21,000 spaces in 2012-13.

• In 2012-13, ITA awarded 8,042 Certificates of Qualifications to journeypersons in B.C., almost triple the number issued in 2005.

Learn More:

Industry Training Authority: www.itabc.ca

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

BC Skills and Training Plan: www.bcjobsplan.ca/skills-and-training-plan/

BC Natural Gas Workforce Strategy and Action Plan: www.rtobc.com/Resources/Reports.htm

Contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour
250 387-2799

TERMS OF REFERENCE

INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY TRAINING AUTHORITY (ITA) and BC'S INDUSTRY TRAINING SYSTEM (the Review)

Background:

British Columbia has tremendous economic opportunities over the next 10 years from the growth of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other key sectors. To fully realize these opportunities, it is vitally important that the Province has a strategic, coordinated, and responsive industry training system that is achieving the outcomes required to ensure employers and industry have the right number of skilled trades people at the right place and at the right time, and that British Columbians can take full advantage of job openings in their communities.

With the immense economic opportunities in front of BC, it is more critical than ever that BC's industry trades training system is performing at an optimal level to meet projected labour market demands. As directed in the June 2013 mandate letter, the Minister is initiating a review of the roles and functions, including governance, of the ITA to ensure it is meeting its mandate and reaching the targets/outcomes needed to provide the skilled trades workers BC needs.

Objective:

The Review will examine outcomes achieved to date by the ITA, and its interactions with its key system partners (Industry, Industry Training Organizations, Government ministries, public and private training providers, and private sector unions), and provide Government with recommendations to improve the outcomes of BC's industry training system. These recommendations may include revisions to ITA's mandate and/or functions to ensure BC's industry training system will meet BC's economic and labour market needs.

Independent Review Leader:

The Review will be carried out by an Independent Review Leader appointed by, and directly accountable to, the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training. This individual will have experience as a senior leader role in a corporate, Ministry or Crown Agency environment; experience conducting organizational mandate reviews; an excellent understanding of crown governance systems, and a proven track record in conducting projects of a similar scope.

Among other activities, the Independent Review Leader will consult with the Industry Training Authority and its partners, industry organizations, labour, employers and apprentices and examine best practices in other jurisdictions, including seeking advice and input from industry training system practitioners and/or governance experts from Canadian and international jurisdictions which have implemented industry training system models BC may wish to learn from.

Timeframes:

The Independent Review Leader will be announced and will begin his/her work in September, 2013. A final report, with recommendations, will be submitted to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training by November 29, 2013.