The Government of B.C. is providing $276,000 to a partnership project with key partners studying labour-market needs associated with occupational health and safety workers in B.C.’s manufacturing sector.

Led by the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC, this Manufacturing Occupational Health and Safety Sector Labour Market Partnerships project brings together key organizations within B.C.’s manufacturing industry, as well as labour unions and post-secondary institutions, to conduct an analysis of occupational health and safety professionals within the sector, and to examine current educational and training programs available within the province.

The Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC (formerly known as FIOSA-MIOSA) began engaging with industry and educational partners in February, in order to gain a better understanding of the specific occupational health and safety labour needs in B.C.’s manufacturing sector.

Manufacturing has been identified as a key sector within the BC Jobs Plan, with advanced manufacturing highlighted as a new sector where British Columbia will see immense growth opportunity at the BC Jobs Plan Five Year Preview this past August. A wide range of high-value products and components are produced in B.C. for international and domestic markets, and the sector creates desirable, high-paying jobs in communities throughout the province.

The Manufacturing Safety Alliance of B.C. is the health and safety association for manufacturers and food processors in B.C. They help members and clients enhance health- and safety-management systems and reduce injury rates.

Each year, the government invests more than $7.5 billion in education and training. Over the next 10 years, to better align its annual investment to meet emerging labour market needs, B.C. plans to redirect $3 billion of its training investment to focus on skills and programs for in-demand jobs.

The Sector Labour Market Partnerships project is funded through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement. The program helps employers understand and respond to changing labour-market demands, and ensures that training and education programs in B.C. are aligned with industry’s labour-market needs and priorities.

Quotes:

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

“The B.C. manufacturing sector’s diversity, focus on export markets and innovation are supporting job growth across every sector of the Provincial economy, and exporting billions of dollars in goods each year to countries around the world. We will continue to work with our industry partners to address their labour-market needs, so we can further develop a safe, productive and growing sector in B.C.”

Manufacturing Safety Alliance of B.C. CEO Lisa McGuire –

“We’re working with the manufacturing industry to achieve cultural change that ensures safe workplaces for all workers. To achieve this we will need more skilled health and safety professionals, especially with the expected future growth in our industry and the influx of less experienced workers as current workers retire. This opportunity with the Sector Labour Market Partnership Program will help us bring key stakeholders together to determine what the industry’s health and safety labour needs are over the next five years.”

Quick Facts:

• Manufacturing contributes more than $15 billion to the B.C. economy – approximately 7.2% of the total Canadian manufacturing gross domestic product (GDP).
• There are approximately 7,200 manufacturing companies in British Columbia.
• In 2015, there were approximately 172,500 people employed in the manufacturing sector in British Columbia, the third largest share of manufacturing sector workers among all Canadian provinces.
• The average manufacturing wage is 14.7% above the provincial average.
• Approximately 27.1% of the employed labour force in the manufacturing sector of B.C. was female.
• Manufactured goods account for 67.3% of B.C.’s total goods exports to international destinations.
• In 2015, the value of B.C.’s manufactured exports to foreign destinations approached $24.2 billion, an increase of about 8.7% over the previous year.

Learn More:

Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC: https://safetyalliancebc.ca/

Sector Labour Market Partnerships Program: www.workbc.ca/Employer-Resources/Funding-and-Programs/Sector-Labour-Market-Partnerships.aspx

BC 2024 Labour Market Outlook: www.workbc.ca/labour-market-information/b-c-s-economy/reports.aspx

BC Jobs Plan Five Year Preview: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016JTST0129-001557

B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint: www.workbc.ca/training-education/b-c-s-skills-for-jobsblueprint.aspx

WorkSafeBC: http://www.worksafebc.com/