High-school students in North Vancouver are getting a head-start in hands-on trades training at the Squamish Nation Trade Centre through a new ACE IT Piping Foundation program made possible through a B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint partnership involving the Squamish First Nation, the Industry Training Authority (ITA), Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), North Vancouver school district 44 and the private sector.

More than 15 students from North Vancouver’s Mountainside Secondary school from a diversity of backgrounds, including the Squamish First Nation, are enrolled in the inaugural 23-week trades training program. The Accelerated Credit Enrolment in Industry Training program (ACE IT), allows students to take their first level of technical training in certain trades while at the same time giving them high school credits needed for graduation.

Students in the ACE IT Piping Foundation program will earn hours toward Level 1 certification in three trades: plumbing, sprinkler fitting and steam/pipefitting. They will also get a real-world perspective on the piping trades by job shadowing workers at Christian Labour Association of Canada and other unions and employers.

B.C.’s Labour Market Outlook to 2022 projects there will be one million job openings, driven by retirements and a growing economy, many of them in skilled trades and technical occupations. Pipefitters and sprinkler system installers are in the top 60 of projected in-demand occupations to meet future labour force needs.

A key Blueprint goal is to increase the number of people participating in all apprentice youth programs to 5,000 by raising awareness of skills and trades training. It is one way the government can help ensure British Columbians gain the skills they need to qualify for in demand jobs, allowing them to support families, communities and help keep B.C.’s diverse economy strong and growing.

Funding for this partnership comes from both the ITA, and KPU’s faculty of trades & technology. KPU is also providing academic expertise and instructors. Equipment was purchased using private-sector donations, and through support from the Squamish First Nation and KPU. The Squamish First Nation is providing the training facility.

(flickr.com)

Quotes:

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour −

“This is what B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint is all about. This multi-level partnership between government, Squamish Nation, Kwantlen Polytechnic, Mountainside Secondary and various members of the private sector is a great example of how -- by working together -- we can give students a head-start so they’re first in line for in-demand jobs, keeping B.C.’s diverse economy strong and growing. The better prepared students are, the more successful they will be in finding meaningful jobs and careers in the trades.”

John Rustad, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation −

“Skills training programs like this one provide new pathways to success for young people, especially Aboriginal youth.  As they earn dual credits for both secondary school and a trade, they are also getting valuable real world job experience and training.”

Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business, MLA North Vancouver-Lonsdale −

“This is a great B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint partnership with tangible outcomes. Giving young people in North Vancouver exposure to a wide variety of career options while still in school is one way the B.C. government can help ensure students find their fit in our diverse and strong economy. Squamish Nation, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Mountainside Secondary school are all working hard to make it easier for students and parents to explore careers.”

Chief Ian Campbell, Squamish First Nation−

“It’s a game changer. To enter the modern economy with high-paying jobs, Aboriginal students need new skills and new training. In this program, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students will develop the skills and the knowledge for the pipe trades. And this is a win-win for the Squamish Nation — because the program itself is being taught at the Squamish Nation Trade Centre in North Vancouver. At the Centre, we play proud host to Aboriginal students arriving from every corner of the province.”

Gary Herman, Chief Executive Officer, Industry Training Authority−

 “Building a skilled workforce for the future depends on the youth of today. The ACE IT Piping Foundation program will provide young people with the opportunity to explore the skilled trades as a career option and be first in line for the many opportunities coming our way. With in-demand occupations projected in plumbing, pipefitting and sprinkler system installation, we look forward to seeing the successful careers that youth can achieve through this program.”

Brian Haugen, dean of trades & technology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University −

“Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been working in partnership with Squamish First Nation since 2009 and we have trained over 300 students in Skills for Jobs.  We are delighted and grateful to be able to expand this partnership to include North Vancouver School District 44, ITA, industry and labour. We are looking forward to training an increasing number of students at the Squamish Trade Center to meet the needs of First nations and the economy of British Columbia.”

David Prentice, provincial director, Christian Labour Association of Canada −

"CLAC is pleased with the B.C. government's continued commitment to skills training and its efforts to help high school students get real life exposure to a career in the skilled trades. Connecting students from North Vancouver’s Mountainside High School, the Squamish Trades Centre and the Squamish First Nation to CLAC contractors for job shadowing assignments will help these young workers get a head-start in the skilled trades. The program is a great fit for CLAC and its partner contractors to develop the skilled workforce to meet current and future demand in British Columbia.

Jeremy Church, principal, Mountainside Secondary school −

“The staff at Mountainside Secondary school have been incredibly impressed with the level of engagement this partnership program has brought out of our students. Providing our students with an ability to earn graduation credits, post-secondary credits, and real world, employable skills will be, and has already been, a life-changing opportunity. Access to skills training with direct links to a growing area of a jobs market is precisely what so many of our students need, and I am so thankful to see this program becoming what I had hoped it would.”

Learn More at:

B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint: www.workbc.ca/skills

My Blueprint Builder: www.workbc.ca/job-seekers/tools/my-blueprint-builder.aspx

Squamish Nation: http://www.squamish.net/

Kwantlen Polytechnic University - trades & technology: http://www.kpu.ca/trades

Industry Training Authority: http://www.itabc.ca/

Christian Labour Association of Canada: https:///www.clac.ca/

B.C.’s Trades Seat Finder: http://www.tradestrainingbc.ca/

Media Contacts:

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