Lisa Beare, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, and Janet Routledge, Parliamentary Secretary for Labour, have released the following statement in recognition of Construction and Skilled Trades Month:

“April is Construction and Skilled Trades Month, an ideal opportunity to acknowledge the contributions and profound impacts of the skilled trades workers who build our homes, hospitals, communities and, ultimately, lay the foundation of British Columbia.

“As the demand for their skills continues to grow and with more than 85,000 job openings for tradespeople expected over the next decade, it’s even more important to recognize and celebrate these workers through Construction and Skilled Trades Month. 

“There are so many exciting and meaningful opportunities for people to pursue fulfilling, purposeful and well-paying careers in the skilled trades. With the introduction of skilled trades certification, this government underscores its commitment to ensuring appropriate and deserved recognition and value are applied to trades-training qualifications and certification, and ensuring that the trades workforce has the right skills to continue to build British Columbia.

“Through accessible skills training and apprenticeships, our government is empowering people to pursue careers in this high-demand field, while supporting industry and construction employers. We are proud to see a record 46,000 registered apprentices in the province.

“Thanks to our partnership with SkilledTradesBC and community organizations, we are working to remove even more barriers to make sure more British Columbians can access trades training. With more people entering the trades-training system, more women, Indigenous people and young people can start good-paying careers in the trades. Through the recently launched Workplace Innovation Fund, we are also supporting the construction sector to implement new ways of working to respond to labour shortages and increase productivity.

“There has never been a more exciting time to explore careers in construction and skilled trades. Through collaboration with school districts, we are introducing the trades to young people in all regions of the province. We continue to see strong participation in high school trades programs, with nearly 10,000 students registered this past school year.

“We invite all of you to join us to acknowledge their contributions and support more people seeking careers in the skilled trades.”