Up to 42 British Columbians in Williams Lake and surrounding areas are getting the training they need for jobs in their community, thanks to a federal-provincial partnership under the Canada-B.C. Job Fund Agreement.

More than $413,000 in total has been allocated to Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council to deliver two Project-Based Training projects in Williams Lake. 

The B.C. government had allocated more than $112,000 to TRU to deliver the School Bus Driver Training Program to 12 participants from Williams Lake and nearby communities. This training was delivered in partnership with the Cariboo-Chilcotin school district (SD 27). Today, MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin Donna Barnett celebrated the completion of the program with graduates, instructor and representatives from TRU as well as SD 27.

In addition to the School Bus Driver Training Program, the Province has allocated $301,095 to the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council to deliver the Project-Based Financial Training Program to 30 Aboriginal participants. Training is currently underway and is expected to complete in June 2017.  

The training projects in Williams Lake are part of an investment of more than $12 million for 49 training projects benefiting approximately 2,000 British Columbians throughout the province, thanks to funding provided through the Canada-B.C. Job Fund Agreement under the Employer-Sponsored Training stream.

The skills training projects support B.C.’s regional labour-market demands and provide opportunities to youth, women, Aboriginal people, immigrants and other eligible participants to receive training, as well as industry-recognized certificates or credentials.

Through the Canada Job Fund, the Government of Canada provides $500 million annually to the provinces and territories for investments in skills training. Under the Canada-British Columbia Job Fund Agreement, the province receives a total of $65 million per year – its per-capita share of the available funding.

The Canada-B.C. Job Fund helps ensure training programs give individuals the skills to enter and succeed in the job market. The Employer-Sponsored Training stream provides funding for project-based, time-limited, employer-driven training that leads to a job at the end of training. This includes targeted projects delivered by Aboriginal service providers, post-secondary institutions, industry associations, community groups, and private trainers that meet regional labour market needs. Employers also provide either financial or in-kind contributions to support the training.

Quotes:

Donna Barnett, MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin –

“I’m excited about the school bus driver and financial training projects delivered by Thompson Rivers University and the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council. These training projects were based on our local labour needs with hands-on work experience for all the participants, so they can pursue job opportunities as bus drivers or work in finance after their training.

“It was a great opportunity to celebrate the completion of bus driver program today with graduates who are now ready to hit the road, thanks to the training they’ve just completed. I wish all the participants in Williams Lake the best of luck in their future careers.”

Dr. Ray Sanders, executive director, Thompson Rivers University Williams Lake Campus and Regional Centres –

“We are very proud of how successful the School Bus Driver program has been, in part, due to the strong partnership between TRU and School District 27 and we are also very pleased to once again partner with our friends from the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council to assist them in offering their financial management training for First Nations. Providing programs such as these is an essential part of our mandate to provide education and training to our region, and also add value to our community. The partnerships we share with government agencies and local community groups fuel our successes and add important value to our community. We are very proud of our students and graduates and commend them for their hard work and commitment to success.”

Randy Cobb, assistant manager of Facilities and Transportation, School District 27 –

“It has been a pleasure to work with TRU on the school bus driver training course and I am very impressed with the quality of drivers this is producing. This will be very helpful in addressing the shortage of school bus drivers we have been experiencing.”

Yvonne Smith, executive director, Northern Shuswap Tribal Council –

“The Financial Training course has been extremely beneficial to our applicants, supporting those that are employed or unemployed to gain a foothold in the job market. Through substantive research, the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council determined that Financial Training was a key priority in our communities. This course is a great initiative to ensure we have the capacity in our Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw (NStQ) communities, pre and post-treaty.  We thank the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training in supporting these individuals to build the capacity to sustain our communities well into the future.”

Quick Facts:

• B.C. is expecting almost one million job openings by 2025.
• According to the B.C. 2025 Labour Market Outlook, up to 54,600 job openings are expected in the North Coast and Nechako, Northeast and Cariboo regions by 2025.
• Overall, up to 12,000 job openings in cooks are expected in B.C.
• Two-thirds of B.C.’s job openings will be from retirements and one-third from economic growth.
• Almost 80% of job openings in B.C. will require post-secondary education.
• The B.C. government invests more than $7.8 billion each year in education and training.
• Through B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint, $3 billion in training investments will be redirected to in-demand jobs over the next 10 years.

Learn More:

Canada Job Fund: http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/training_agreements/cjf/index.shtml   

British Columbia’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint:  https://www.workbc.ca/skills 

B.C. Labour Market Outlook 2025: https://www.workbc.ca/Labour-Market-Information/B-C-s-Economy/Reports.aspx