The Province is seeking service providers to deliver skills training and employment supports for people facing multiple barriers to employment.

Funding of up to $10 million a year will support about 1,230 people in British Columbia who face multiple barriers to employment, including immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities and those whose circumstances include housing instability, addiction recovery, prior criminal justice experience and chronic unemployment.

Skills training and supports will empower participants to overcome obstacles to employment that can include a lack of relevant skills, social and employment networks, or recent or Canadian work experience.

Skills training could provide job skills, certificates to meet job or industry requirements, or essential workplace skills, including adult basic education and academic upgrading. Additional supports could include counselling or coaching, child care and employment assistance.

Details about the call for response can be found on BC Bid.

Under the Canada-B.C. Workforce Development Agreement (WDA), British Columbia will invest up to $117 million in skills training in 2019-20 through a range of programs, including six Skills Training for Employment (STE) programs, and programs for persons with disabilities delivered by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

Quick Facts:

• The deadline for responses from service providers for STE for multi-barriered individuals is June 12, 2019.
• The Province of B.C. and the Government of Canada signed the WDA in 2018 to support programs that give people the skills and retraining employers are looking for, with a specific focus on under-represented and vulnerable groups.
• Six STE programs are among those delivered under the WDA and are targeted to young adults, young adults at risk, survivors of violence and/or abuse, older workers, Indigenous peoples and people facing multiple barriers to employment.
• The 2018 edition of the BC Labour Market Outlook forecasted 903,000 job openings through 2028 due to a mixture of retirements and growth.
• Of those job openings, 77% will require some level of post-secondary education or training.

Learn more:

BC Bid: https://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca/open.dll/welcome?language=En

WorkBC Workforce Development Agreement Programs: https://www.workbc.ca/Employment-Services/Labour-Market-Programs/Workforce-Development-Agreement-programs-informati.aspx#anchor2