S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
S K I L L E D T R A D E S
Perfect
Timing
There has never been a better time in the
history of British Columbia than now to be
considering a career in the skilled trades.
"Everything that is built or manu-
factured like roads, cars, boats or ferries,
and everything maintained like heating
systems or electrical systems are touched
by the hands of skilled trades every day,"
says Gary Herman,
CEO of B.C.'s Industry
Training Authority (ITA).
"It's important that we don't lose sight
of the know-how economy; those who
build, make and maintain everything."
B.C. is blessed with a very diverse
economy, including a strong manufacturing
sector—from the expanded agri-foods,
tourism and technolo…y sector to automotive
and potential
LNG, explains Herman.
"There are currently 364 major capital
projects that are worth $79.6 billion
undergoing construction in the province,"
Herman states.
As a result, the
ITA is working with the
B.C. government to build a demand-driven
trades training system aligned to speci'c
high priority trades, which is all part of the
B.C. Skills for Jobs Blueprint initiatives.
Herman also reminds businesses
that companies are going to lose a fair
contingent of tradespeople to retirement
over the next eight years, and that is a
factor that should also be considered.
"Employers need to be looking for new
talent now to get them up to speed and get
them well on their way to support their
businesses going forward," he says.
There are currently 38,000 apprentices
and over 10,000 employer sponsors in
B.C. According to Canadian Apprenticeship
Forum, for every dollar that an employer
invests in apprenticeship training, they receive
an average return on investment of $1.52.
The jobs in demand cover industries
such as aerospace, manufacturing,
automotive, forestry, marine transportation
and tourism and hospitality; and some
of the top trades include: millwrights,
welders, machinists, crane operators,
sprinkler system installers, pipe 'tters
and steam 'tters, professional cooks,
construction electricians and carpenters.
"The time for employers to focus on
succession planning is now," he says.
"Government anticipates a million jobs
created between now and 2024, and two-
thirds of those jobs are going to be from
baby boomers leaving the workforce. A
third of them are for the growing economy."
This is certainly an exciting time skilled
workers in B.C.
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B.C.'s trades industry
is poised for record
opportunities
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
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