BCBusiness

February 2020 – First Mover

With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.

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BCBUSINESS.CA FEBRUARY 2020 BCBUSINESS 47 Office lunches | Weddings | Private Parties | Memorial Services Weekly meals delivered to Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Hope and Victoria www.casalinga.ca Catering: 604.433.4051 Meal Service: 604.435.1994 7624 Winston Street Burnaby, BC email: mccannscaterers@telus.net GREAT for Family meals Seniors and Bachelors Anderson outlined four areas to address: immigration, training pro- grams, aligning industry needs with post- secondary curricula and raising aware- ness among youth. "We can't compete on a global scale with other countries if our immigration process isn't helping us grow," he pointed out, recommend- ing that the industry become part of the federal Global Talent Stream program, which fast-tracks certain positions and occupations, and the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program for skilled workers. He also mentioned launching an international awareness campaign. Another problem is a lack of train- ing programs. "A lot of people end up in this industry almost accidentally or from other industries," Anderson said. "There's limited skilled worker training programs, so when we hire someone, we need to train them." There are also few offerings for people who want to upgrade their skills. One LMP study suggested that shortening training could help workers fill vacancies more quickly and then learn more-advanced skills on the job. As for post-secondary courses, "It's not that they're teaching the wrong things," Anderson said. "We just need way more." Industry members must work with the institutions to identify and establish technical specialized programs that are missing, like a materials devel- oper degree. Mustang Survival now hires materials science engineers and takes them through six months of training. Lastly, an LMP survey of 500 youths revealed that just 0.48 percent want careers in the industry, and few realize the range of opportunities, from design and engineering to manufacturing and e-commerce positions. "Most people just think it's retail," Anderson remarks. "I go down to Robson Street, I buy something. I don't know where it comes from; I don't know how it gets created." Solutions could include raising awareness through WorkBC and home economics teachers. How optimistic is Anderson? "I believe the talent in this room tonight is capable of doing anything that we set our minds to," he concluded. "It's my dream that Vancouver becomes the Silicon Val- ley of premium apparel and gear. The outcome will be a thriving and sustain- able economy that will provide endless opportunities for a key industry." –F.S.

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