The Government of British Columbia has committed more than $160,000 to help Vancouver Island manufacturers develop a comprehensive labour-market strategy, which will address priority training and skills-shortage issues affecting the manufacturing sector in the region. 

This investment is part of a broader Sector Labour Market Partnerships project led by Harbour Digital Media, which began in the fall of 2015. With the funding announced today, the B.C. government has invested over $190,000 in the project to support employer engagement and labour-market information research, as well as strategy development, for the Island’s manufacturing sector. 

The strategy consultation will be completed in early 2017, culminating in a final report that will recommend specific activities for possible implementation in the next phase of the project.  

British Columbia’s manufacturing sector is the third-largest contributor to the province’s economy and a key part of the BC Jobs Plan, generating $15 billion in revenue and supporting approximately 172,500 jobs.

The Sector Labour Market Partnerships Program 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:

Michelle Stilwell, MLA for Parksville-Qualicum –

“B.C.’s manufacturing sector helps drive economic growth and job creation across the province. I am excited that this project will help our manufacturers develop a comprehensive labour-market strategy that reflects the needs of Vancouver Island. This project will support manufacturers to meet their current workforce requirements and successfully respond to their future needs in Vancouver Island‘s growing economy.”

John Juricic, owner, Harbour Digital Media –

“Organizing and aggregating the labour market issues for the Vancouver Island / Coastal manufacturing community has been an extremely positive and encouraging project. Manufacturers in this region are excited and optimistic to be able to communicate their labour-market issues to government and work towards solving and dealing with them directly, within a sustainable, constructive and long-term framework.”

Mike Smothers, director of operations, Nicholson Manufacturing Ltd. –  

“Being part of the VIMAB has encouraged us manufacturers that the government is listening to and allowing us to move in the right direction to support and grow manufacturing, not just here on the island, but as a whole of B.C.”

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 7,225 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:

Sector Labour Market Partnerships Program: www.workbc.ca/sectorlabourmarketpartnerships

BC Jobs Plan: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcjobsplan/

B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint: https://www.workbc.ca/Training-Education/B-C-s-Skills-for-Jobs-Blueprint.aspx

B.C. 2025 Labour Market Outlook: https://www.workbc.ca/Statistics/Labour-Market.aspx

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