Five people in the Cariboo region will gain new job skills as they upgrade the Gold Rush Snowmobile Trail and other local recreation sites through a Job Creation Partnership with the British Columbia government.

The New Pathways to Gold Society received nearly $400,000 from the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation’s Community and Employer Partnerships program for the Joint Cariboo Project, which will see participants install new amenities along the Gold Rush Snowmobile Trail, at the local ice caves and on Canim Lake Band territory.

The program participants will be at work until December 2016 as they gain skills in general construction, log building, road work and trail building. They will also receive Level 1 first aid training, chain saw and power saw training, and training in off-road recreational vehicles, WorkPlace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS) and Bear Aware programs.

Along the area’s Gold Rush Snowmobile Trail, popular among snowmobilers, project participants will install four warming huts and nine information kiosks to make the trail more accessible for new users. At local recreation sites they will install 15 outhouses, 35 picnic tables, 12 pit toilets and steps, and 30 picnic table planks. On the Canim Lake Band territory, participants will build 12 log picnic tables, two outhouses and log tables, a pow-wow arbour and a baseball field dug-out. They will also build a trapper’s cabin, renovate another cabin and build a trail along Bob’s Lake. In the final stage, participants will overhaul the ice caves with similar amenities, as well as add a foot bridge, new railing and parking lot improvements.

Job Creation Partnerships are part of the Employment Program of British Columbia’s Community and Employer Partnerships, which fund projects that increase employability and share labour market information.

The Community and Employer Partnerships program is featured in B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint and provides more support to people who are struggling to gain a foothold in the job market. It helps build stronger partnerships with industry and labour to connect British Columbians with classroom and on-the-job training, while making it easier for employers to hire the skilled workers they need – when and where they need them.

To date, more than 1,000 job seekers benefited from work experience and more than 200 projects have been funded throughout the province.

The B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint was launched two years ago to help British Columbians get the skills they need to be first in line for the almost one million job openings that are projected by 2024 and to re-engineer B.C.’s education programs toward a data-driven system focusing investments toward training for in-demand jobs.

Quotes:

Michelle Stilwell, Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation –

“A key focus of our investment in employment programs in B.C. is to get job-seekers trained and ready for the labour market. When this program is complete, participants will have the skills they need to succeed in the construction industry, while also providing the Barkerville to Hope and Gold Rush Trail regions of the province some much-needed amenities.”

Donna Barnett, MLAfor Cariboo-Chilcotin –

"The Gold Rush Trail is an asset to economic and social development. I have a personal connection as my late husband was an active volunteer for many, many years and I am pleased ‎to see this project continue to improve and grow. It is also great to have partnerships with First Nations on the trail project. The ice caves tourism project is another economic and social project which will tell the story of the ice caves, the history of the First Nations and benefit us all. The jobs that are created from these two projects and the ongoing tourism opportunities for growth are a great benefit to the South Cariboo.”

Cheryl Chapman, co-chair, New Pathways to Gold Society First Nations –

“This project puts people on the land and provides real learning and employment opportunities for some First Nation community members.”

Terry Raymond,  co-chair, New Pathways to Gold Society First Nations –

“It’s great to partner with government to provide First Nations communities and others with valuable skills while improving the heritage tourism infrastructure of the Gold Rush-Spirit Trails corridor.”

Thomas Salzbrenner, project participant –

“I am looking forward to it, especially to learning about log building. I love to work with wood. I look forward to the challenge and I am proud to be part of this project.”

Quick Facts:

• The New Pathways to Gold Society supports economic development through heritage tourism, First Nations reconciliation, community projects and heritage events in the historic Barkerville-to-Hope and Gold Rush Trails regions of British Columbia.
• Joint Cariboo Project participants were hired with the help of the WorkBC Employment Services Centre.
• There are four funding streams under the Community and Employer Partnerships fund:
  • Job Creation Partnerships
  • Labour Market Partnerships
  • Project-Based Labour Market Training
  • Research and Innovation
• In 2016-17, the ministry has committed to investing $331 million in employment and labour market programs under the Employment Program of B.C.(EPBC), which serves all unemployed British Columbians who are looking for work and are eligible to work in Canada.
• The Employment Program of B.C. is funded by the Province of British Columbia, as well as the Government of Canada through the Labour Market Partnership Agreement.
• People experiencing barriers to employment are a key consideration in the delivery of EPBC. This includes:
  • Persons with disabilities
  • Aboriginal people
  • Francophones
  • Immigrants
  • Rural and remote populations
  • Multi-barriered clients
  • Survivors of violence and/or abuse
  • Youth

Who is eligible for Community Employer Partnership funding?

• Businesses
• Non-profit organizations
• Crown corporations
• Municipalities, agencies or territorial governments
• Bands/tribal councils
• Public health and educational institutions

Learn More:

Learn more about the New Pathways to Gold Society: http://www.newpathwaystogold.ca/

For more information on Community and Employer Partnerships: www.workbc.ca/CEP

Find a local WorkBC Employment Services Centre: www.workbccentres.ca

Learn more about the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation: www.gov.bc.ca/sdsi

For more information on B.C.'s Skills for Jobs Blueprint: www.workbc.ca/skills

To find out more about the BC Jobs Plan: www.engage.gov.bc.ca/bcjobsplan/