B.C. premier, officials to announce job training investments
CBC
British Columbia's premier and jobs minister are scheduled to make an announcement about the future of work in the province Thursday morning.
Premier John Horgan is expected to join Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation and other officials at 11 a.m. PST.
CBC is livestreaming the event, which is being billed by the government as an announcement about B.C.'s economic plan and investments in training for the jobs of the future.
The latest labour market outlook for B.C. shows nearly 80 per cent of job openings over the next decade will require some level of post-secondary education, reflecting the changing nature of the economy.
The outlook, released Feb. 7 by the provincial government, also forecasts more than one million job openings in the next 10 years, with about 63 per cent of those replacing people who retire.
The remaining 37 per cent of jobs will be created by economic growth and the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, says a news release from the Jobs Ministry.
The outlook shows the health care, social assistance and education sectors are expected to generate some of the largest employment in services such as counselling, child protection and community housing.
Science and technology jobs will also be in high demand, as will openings in skilled trades ranging from cooks and mechanics to construction workers and hair stylists.
The provincial government estimates there will be up to 85,000 openings in skilled trades over the next decade and is seeking to modernize the Crown agency responsible for training workers in the trades sector.
Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training Anne Kang said earlier this week new legislation being introduced aims to create an agency that would focus on supporting and training apprentices.
Kang said the new agency's role would focus on overseeing the skills training requirements for apprentice and journeyperson workers in 10 trades, including industrial electricians, heavy duty equipment technicians and gasfitters.
She said skills training requirements for the trades in B.C. were eliminated in 2003 but making them a requirement provides workers with recognized credentials that benefit employers and employees.
Kang said under the new certification program, which could start later this year, workers would have at least one year to register for apprenticeship programs or take an exam to get certified.
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