CHRIS ATCHISON
BRITISH COLUMBIA – The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) announced today that it has now issued $10M in financial incentives to small and medium-sized construction industry employers through its Apprenticeship Services project, with $4M more still available to applicants.
The project provides employer participants with cash incentives to hire and register first-year apprentices in up to 39 Red Seal trades. This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy’s Apprenticeship Service initiative. It has become the most far-reaching construction trade apprenticeship drive ever undertaken in British Columbia. Since launching in September 2022, the Apprenticeship Services project has issued financial incentives to employers for the hiring and registering of 1,329 apprentices and sent payments to more than 700 qualified employers.
The BCCA Apprenticeship Services project pays employers $5,000 for each first-year apprentice they register in any of up to 39 construction Red Seal trades. Continuing to improve diversity within BC’s construction industry remains a critical goal of this project. An additional $5,000 is issued if the apprentice self-identifies as part of an equity deserving group, as part of an effort to redress underrepresentation in the trades.
Employers can register up to two first-year apprentices before March 31, 2024 to earn up to $20,000 in cash incentives. Apprentices hail from across BC, and to date 51% of project apprentices have declared themselves to be a member of an equity deserving group.
“The Apprenticeship Services project has become one of the most successful workforce development programs the BCCA has ever launched,” says Chris Atchison, BCCA President. “The timing of this initiative couldn’t be better. Our industry is hungry for skilled workers. We’re doing our part by providing outreach and support to employers and inspiring job seekers to pursue rewarding careers in the construction industry.”
While the project has registered apprentices in 35 different Red Seal trades, almost $6M in funding has gone to BC employers registering first-year carpenters, construction electricians and plumbers.
All participating employers must adhere to BCCA’s Builders Code, which sets a standard code of conduct for workers on construction sites. To date, 1,059 employers have signed the Builder’s Code pledge through the BCCA Apprenticeship Services project.
This culture shifting commitment is helping to build a construction workforce where all employees are ensured safe and productive worksites free of hazing, bullying and harassment, thereby giving all workers the best opportunity to reach their full potential.
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