The governments of Canada and British Columbia announced today that a total of $7 million will be available under the Canada-BC Job Grant to help businesses provide their current or new employees with skills training.

Premier Christy Clark and Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, made the announcement today while visiting Yellowhead Helicopters Ltd. in Prince George, a previous recipient of the grant for over $244,000 that enabled them to train 40 employees in areas such as engine maintenance, aircraft field maintenance, mountain flying, advanced operational flight training, advanced driving techniques, supervisor training and quality assurance.

Employers will be able to apply for funding as of April 22 for skills training with start dates from April 22 to Sept. 30, 2016. Existing streams have been expanded to benefit more employers and British Columbians.

“Our economy is expected to lead the country in economic growth over the next two years,” said Premier Clark. “This funding will go a long way to help businesses provide their employees with the skills training they need so that we have the workforce to keep our economy diverse, strong and growing.”

“In a highly competitive global economy, it is important for Canadian companies to ensure that their employees maintain and upgrade their knowledge and skills,” said the Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour. “The Canada Job Grant is one example of how the federal and provincial governments and industry work together to grow our economy, strengthen our middle class, and help those working hard to join it.”

“We are expecting nearly one million job openings in British Columbia by 2024 due to retirements and economic growth and it is important that British Columbians have the skills and training they need for these future openings, said Bond. “The Canada-B.C. Job Grant will help many B.C. businesses upskill and train their employees so they are successful in their careers.”

“Continuing education is an essential element to Yellowhead Helicopters' dynamic safety culture,” said Jacob Forman, CEO & accountable executive, Yellowhead Helicopters Ltd. “Thanks to the support from the Canada-BC Job Grant, we were able to train 40 people (roughly 1/3 of our total workforce) in various programs such as engine maintenance, aircraft field maintenance, mountain flying, advanced operational flight training, advanced driving techniques, supervisor training and quality assurance. This training has provided career growth for our employees as well as allowing the company to better prepare and position itself to supply a high level of service on the various resource projects planned for northern BC, such as the Site C and LNG projects. It has also provided a boost to our B.C. economy since the majority of the training programs were provided locally by BC training facilities.”

The $7-million funding will be distributed as follows:

• Priority sectors: $5 million will be provided to employers operating in 10 of the BC Jobs Plan priority sectors, including technology and green economy, and the construction sector. In addition, the government will add two priority areas: in-demand organizations which include non-profit health and social-services sectors where jobs are in demand, and Emerging Priorities.

• Under-represented: $1 million will be allocated for employers to train and hire individuals who are under-represented in B.C.’s workforce. This is an continuation of the existing New Canadians stream introduced earlier this year, and will now include B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint priority groups – Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and youth.

• Refugee Fund: $1 million will be allocated to organizations working with employers interested in training and hiring refugees.

Information on eligibility criteria and application process is available on WorkBC’s website at: https://www.workbc.ca/canadabcjobgrant. Funding covers tuition and training fees, mandatory student fees, textbooks, software and other required training materials, and examination fees.

The Canada-B.C. Job Grant is an employer-driven, cost-sharing partnership between the federal and provincial governments as well as employers. Government provides two-thirds of the total training cost for an employee up to $10,000 per person to offset the cost of training, with the employer contributing one-third of the cost of training.

(flickr.com)

Quick Facts:

• To date, more than 15,000 employees have received training through the Canada-B.C. Job Grant, and almost 3,000 employers have received funding to train new or current employees.
• Government has invested a total of $26M in skills training through the Canada-BC Job Grant, with employers contributing another $13M.
• By 2024, B.C. will have nearly one million job openings due to retirements and economic growth.
• Thousands of new job openings are expected in every region of British Columbia by 2024:
  • Vancouver Island/Coast: 158,900 job openings
  • Mainland/Southwest: 569,500 job openings
  • North Coast/Nechako/Northeast and Cariboo: 57,900 job openings
  • Southeast: 147,900 job openings

• Almost 80% of these job openings will require post-secondary education or trades training.
• The B.C. government invests over $7.5 billion each year in education and training.
• Over the next 10 years, the B.C. government will redirect $3 billion in training investments towards these in-demand jobs.

Learn More:

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

Canada Job Grant: http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/training_agreements/cjg/index.shtml

Canada-B.C. Job Grant: https://www.workbc.ca/canadabcjobgrant

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

B.C. Labour Market Outlook 2024: https://www.workbc.ca/labour-market-information/b-c-seconomy/reports.aspx