Starting tomorrow, British Columbia’s natural gas sector will be featured at the third annual international liquefied natural gas (LNG) conference.

As part of the event, the introduction of the GameChanger Youth Expo will be a major highlight of this years’ conference.

GameChanger is a new, dynamic competition providing students of all ages an opportunity to showcase their creative-thinking skills to delegates attending British Columbia’s annual flagship LNG event. Over 1,600 students from throughout the province will participate in 12 competitions linked to energy, technology and trades.

Challenges will take place on the tradeshow floor of the conference in Vancouver, Oct. 14-16. Work BC’s Find Your Fit and LNG-Buy BC also will have a presence at the conference, which is expected to have over 3,000 participants.

Over the last three years, the conference has become a key part of the government’s work to promote British Columbia’s growth potential in natural gas to global markets. Thousands of jobs and business ventures have been linked to the industry for over 50 years.

GameChanger and the LNG Conference are taking place in British Columbia during Natural Gas Week, Oct. 11-17, 2015. Updates from the event, as well as facts about natural gas sector, can be found online by following @BCJobsPlan and the hashtag #LNGinBC2015.

Media interested in attending the LNG Conference can register in advance using the contact details below.

Quotes:

Rich Coleman, Minister of Natural Gas Development ─

“British Columbia’s natural sector is growing and international interest continues to shine on our province’s energy future. This is a time for us to recognize the significance of this industry and the generational opportunity we have to create new jobs.”

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

“With a wide range of job openings expected in British Columbia, we need to ensure that British Columbians, especially our budding workforce, have the information and training they need to seize a wide range of opportunities.”

WorkBC’s Find Your Fit interactive booth is one of the ways we’re reaching out to youth. It brings a wealth of career information to students in local communities and the opportunity for them to test their skills. To date, more than 55,000 participants in 43 communities throughout B.C. have visited our booth, and we hope to reach more British Columbians as the booth continues its tour around the province.”

Quick Facts:

• The 2015 International LNG in BC Conference - Clean Energy. Reliable Partner – takes place in Vancouver, Oct. 14-16.
• By 2022, British Columbia is expecting one million job openings, created by retirements and the province's growing economy.
• More than 78% of jobs will require some form of post-secondary education, and 44% will need skilled trades and technical workers.
• The Canadian Research Institute recently indicated natural gas developments in British Columbia will increase employment (direct, indirect and induced) from 52,720 jobs in 2015 to 156,000 by 2035.
• British Columbia has approximately 2,800 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources – enough to support domestic and international needs for over 150 years: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Natural_Gas_Resource_Assessment.pdf

Learn More at:

Natural Gas Week 2015 proclamation: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Natural_Gas_Week_Proclamation_2015.pdf

More information about the 2015 International LNG in BC Conference: http://lngconference.ca/

More details about GameChanger can be found at: http://gamechanger.lngconference.ca/

More information about LNG in British Columbia: www.LNGinBC.ca

More information about environmental protection and oversight: http://safelnginbc.com/