COURTENAY – Speaking at the Vancouver Island Economic Summit, Premier Christy Clark announced an investment of $2.7 million in North Island College for skills training in high-priority trades seats.
The investment, through the Industry Training Authority (ITA), will fund 744 seats through to March 31, 2017, in various trades, including:
- Electrician
- Welder
- Carpenter
- Plumber
- Cook
- Heavy mechanical group trades
The funding is part of the ITA’s annual allocation to BC post-secondary institutions and training providers to run various training programs throughout the province.
In response to the objectives outlined in BC’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint and the McDonald Report, the BC government has worked in partnership with the ITA to begin building a demand-driven trades training system with funding aligned to specific in-demand trades.
The provincial government invests more than $94 million annually in industry training through the ITA. The ITA leads and co-ordinates British Columbia’s skilled trades system by working with employers, employees, industry, labour, training providers and government to issue credentials, manage apprenticeships, set program standards and increase opportunities in the trades.
