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| North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice celebrating Apprenticeship Recognition Week at the Legislature on Tuesday |
The range of trades training opportunities across BC made for the theme for North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice's commentary for the Legislature on Tuesday, with Ms. Rice making note of this week as Apprenticeship Recognition Week, which is taking place from November 4th through to the 10th.
This week honours the thousands of hard-working apprentices throughout B.C. That's 35,000 adult apprentices, 5,000 youth and 4,000 foundation students waiting to join the workforce. Apprentices are training for over 100 diverse trades, from automotive technicians and welders to chefs and funeral directors.
On top of the 45,000 apprentices and students ready to go right now, it's expected that there will be about 71,000 new job openings in the trades over the next decade. The high-demand trades include millwrights, heavy-duty mechanics and carpenters. Skilled tradespeople will be needed throughout the province in industries like construction, manufacturing and forestry
Speaking as part of the statements period of Tuesday's morning session, the North Coast MLA observed as to how the province has seen seven new trades training facilities open across BC including facilities for the north and northwest.
Just this year, seven new trades training facilities were opened at post-secondary institutions throughout B.C. Students in Vernon, Cranbrook, Terrace, Prince George, Kamloops, Nanaimo and Dawson Creek are enjoying state-of-the-art facilities with world-class instructors.
As part of the recognition of Apprenticeship week, the BC government has offered up a look at some of the programs which offer training across Northern and Northwestern BC
Coast Mountain College figures high on that list, with the province announcing 160,000 dollars of funding for the Northwest program.
The funding will be used to buy new and replace aging trades and technology equipment. Examples of trades training equipment purchased by various post-secondary institutions last year include a used hybrid car for automotive programs, various types of saws for construction trades programs and equipment for culinary programs. Technology equipment purchased last year included iPads, 3D printers and new servers, as well as wind and solar energy training equipment.
Coast Mountain College President Ken Burt noted how the funding will be put towards programs
offered at the Terrace facility.
“Adding more modern equipment to our new trades training facility in Terrace helps us connect our students with the skills they’ll need when they enter the workforce,” ... “This is especially important in our trades programs, which are helping train the skilled professionals our local businesses need, such as welders, carpenters and professional cooks.”
More notes related to items of note from Coast Mountain College can be found on our archive page.
Additional funding has been provided for Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and the College of New Caledonia, both of which have students from the Northwest taking courses through their programs.
For more items of note from Ms. Rice's work at the Legislature see our archive page here.
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