Work clothes? Check. Books? Check. Tools? Check. A place to stay? Check. Students in the Gulf Islands School District are packing their bags and traveling to other B.C. communities for enhanced skills, technical, and trades training opportunities thanks to $5,000 for the school district from the Province’s Skills Training Access Grant.

The Skills Training Access Grant helps school districts connect students with training in fields such as carpentry, coding, and culinary arts by providing funding each year to 30 qualified districts. Thirty districts met the requirements and received the 2016/17 grant. 

The grant program also supports student skills-training development right at home by bringing mobile training units to the Gulf Islands. Also, throughout the district, schools are offering small skills-training classes to ensure students receive the attention and opportunities they need to succeed.

Since the Skills Training Access Grant program began in March 2014, government has committed $470,000 in funding to ensure students throughout the province have access to training and career opportunities.

This grant program supports B.C.'s Skills for Jobs Blueprint, which is re-engineering the province’s education and apprenticeship system so training dollars and programs are targeted to in-demand jobs. It also supports the #BCTECH Strategy―a key component of the BC Jobs Plan to support the growth of B.C.’s vibrant technology sector and strengthen British Columbia’s diverse innovation economy.

Quote:

Mike Bernier, Minister of Education –

“B.C. students have great opportunities in the skilled trades and in the technology sector―and through the Skilled Training Access Grant we are giving them the opportunities they need to fulfil their dreams and succeed in the changing world. We are building on our world-class education system with new curriculum, ensuring our students have a full range of training options and find success now and into the future.”

Learn More:

Explore B.C.’s new curriculum: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca

Read the #BCTECH Strategy: https://bctechstrategy.gov.bc.ca/

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

The B.C. government has launched a new parent-engagement process to better understand how parents want to be informed of their student’s success from kindergarten to Grade 9.  Participate in this process by visiting: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/yourkidsprogress

British Columbians can also join in an online discussion about rural education by visiting: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/ruraleducation