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.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/950283
sector is short of critical manpower— specifically, mechanics. "I have three in my company, and I could easily employ two more full time," says Keys. Although apprenticeship programs can upgrade the skills of people who are already employed, B.C. no longer has a Marine Foundation program to give young talent off the street the skills necessary to obtain jobs in the first place. "That puts the onus on the many small entrepreneurs who are the backbone of the boating sector to hire and train unskilled labour — which in a lot of cases is unfeasible," says Lisa Geddes, Execu- tive Director of Boating BC. Now that the full economic impact of boating has been revealed by the NMMA study, Prittie and his colleagues are optimistic about resolving issues that impede growth. "Boating has been embraced by the public but not fully appreciated by policymakers in government and the private sector," he says. "So it's important to spread the good news about our economic clout: that way, communities and planners will be more motivated to protect waterways and marinas, and govern- ment will be more inclined to address labour shortages." • d o l p h i n i n s u r a n c e . c o m •Online quoting within 24hours •Coverage for all types of vessels •Commercial marine policies available •Discounts available for clubs, associations & courses •Offshore policies with windstorm P h : 1 ( 8 0 0 ) 4 6 0 - 0 6 1 9 / ( 6 0 4 ) 2 6 1 - 9 2 0 0 Full-service marinas and boatyards located in Sidney, BC. Co-op_Boat ad.indd 1 2018-02-20 9:51 AM S p e c i a l F e a t u r e