The College of New Caledonia campus in Vanderhoof intends to offer new apprenticeship training in Industrial Mechanic (millwright) Level 1 in September 2016 to prepare students for in-demand occupations.

The new programming is based on consultations with and demand from the community and Aboriginal partners. The delivery of this program will be subject to sufficient student demand.

“There is a high demand for millwrights to support a range of sectors that are critical to our economy,” said Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad, on behalf of Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson. “Our government is targeting funding to education and training programs that are aligned with in-demand occupations.”

Millwrights are industrial mechanics who install and repair machinery and heavy mechanical equipment in a variety of work sites, including mines, production facilities, lumber mills and hospitals.

“Where there is machinery at work, you will find millwrights,” said CNC president Henry Reiser. “CNC is committed to being responsive to community programming needs, while ensuring that students can continue to access high-quality education and training.”

The provincial government has provided $400,000 to support short-term, technical and vocationally focused programs that support in-demand occupations at four College of New Caledonia campuses, including Vanderhoof. Program offerings were determined in conjunction with consultations that the college held with communities and Aboriginal partners.

Government is also providing $302,000 toward the cost of the Digital Delivery Initiative at CNC, which relies on new technologies and improvements to broadband Internet connectivity. The digital technology is being piloted to allow Quesnel students to link into instructors located in Prince George and vice versa. The Digital Delivery Initiative will be rolled out to other campuses in the next year.

Nearly one million job openings are expected in B.C. over the next decade and eight out of 10 of these openings will require post-secondary education. B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint outlines a plan to re-engineer the education system by aligning education and training with in-demand jobs in B.C.