North Island College (NIC) will receive $200,000 to support training for workers affected by the Myra Falls Mine suspension and Quinsam Mine closure near Campbell River.

“Our government is pleased to provide funding to retrain workers in the region,” said MLA for Comox Valley Don McRae on behalf of Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson. “North Island College will provide local training opportunities to allow families to stay here in Campbell River and continue working within their community.”

A Community Adjustment Team, whose purpose is to co-ordinate and integrate local support services, has been working with NIC to determine what training will be most effective and to create programming that will best support future job opportunities for the affected workers. While the team members vary, depending on the situation of each community, they typically include local and provincial service providers and organizations with leadership from the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour.    

The funding aligns with B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint and supports communities in the region affected by the economic downturn, providing workers with the opportunity to retrain and upgrade their skills.

“NIC is proud to be able to support workers affected by Campbell River area mine closures with three different employment training options,” said NIC president John Bowman. “Starting this fall and winter, displaced workers will be able to choose from a new ticket to trades for self-employment program, coastal log scaling certificate or an industry certification series at the Campbell River campus.”

NIC offers more than 1,000 courses and 80 credit programs, covering a variety of subject areas including trades and technology and apprenticeship training on northern Vancouver Island and the B.C. Central Coast.

B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint was launched two years ago to align funding and programs with in-demand occupations. B.C. expects almost one million job openings by 2024, and eight out of 10 of these openings will require post-secondary education or training.