BC – The governments of Canada and British Columbia have announced that a total of $7 million will be available under the Canada-BC Job Grant to help businesses provide their current or new employees with skills training.
Employers will be able to apply for funding as of April 22 for skills training with start dates from April 22 to Sept. 30, 2016. Existing streams have been expanded to benefit more employers and British Columbians.
“Our economy is expected to lead the country in economic growth over the next two years,” said Premier Clark. “This funding will go a long way to help businesses provide their employees with the skills training they need so that we have the workforce to keep our economy diverse, strong and growing.”
“We are expecting nearly one million job openings in British Columbia by 2024 due to retirements and economic growth and it is important that British Columbians have the skills and training they need for these future openings, said Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, and Minister Responsible for Labour. “The Canada-B.C. Job Grant will help many B.C. businesses upskill and train their employees so they are successful in their careers.”
The $7-million funding will be distributed as follows:
- Priority sectors: $5 million will be provided to employers operating in 10 of the BC Jobs Plan priority sectors, including technology and green economy, and the construction sector. In addition, the government will add two priority areas: in-demand organizations which include non-profit health and social-services sectors where jobs are in demand, and Emerging Priorities.
- Under-represented: $1 million will be allocated for employers to train and hire individuals who are under-represented in B.C.’s workforce. This is an continuation of the existing New Canadians stream introduced earlier this year, and will now include B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint priority groups – Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and youth.
- Refugee Fund: $1 million will be allocated to organizations working with employers interested in training and hiring refugees.
- The Canada-B.C. Job Grant is an employer-driven, cost-sharing partnership between the federal and provincial governments as well as employers. Government provides two-thirds of the total training cost for an employee up to $10,000 per person to offset the cost of training, with the employer contributing one-third of the cost of training.
