B.C. provides one-time grants for in-demand job training

In trying to address the labour shortage for in-demand jobs, the B.C. government will be providing grants for up to $3,500 for a slew of training programs.

In an announcement Tuesday morning, Premier David Eby says the province is seeing more job openings than skilled workers and is therefore taking action to close the gap.

“[We are making] sure people are ready to seize new opportunities and build a good life here in B.C. and businesses are able to find the people who drive our economy forward and deliver the services we all rely on,” he said.

The grants are part of the government’s previously announced $480-million, three-year plan — Future Ready Action Plan — which was outlined in this year’s budget.

According to the province, the 2022 Labour Market Outlook forecasts that B.C. will have one million job openings in the next decade. Nearly 80 per cent of these job openings will require some form of post-secondary education or training.

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Beginning in September, the grant will be available for British Columbians to ease the cost and affordability of more than 400 training opportunities.

The province says these programs will address the labour gaps in the most in-demand industries, like construction, tech, housing, and clean energy.

“For employers, this means some 8,500 newly trained people over the next three years will become skilled and ready to fill positions and address the skills gap,” the province said.

B.C.’s Minister for Jobs Brenda Bailey says finding skilled labour is one of businesses’ biggest concerns.

“That’s exactly what this initiative will address. It will ensure businesses have access to a skilled and diverse talent pool, now and into the future. Good jobs are good for workers and for businesses. By working together, we can build a better future for B.C.,” she said.

Along with the grant funding, the province is moving ahead with expanding the number of seats the province will be able to provide post-secondary learners in a number of programs.

The province says it is bringing in another 3,000 tech seats, for a total of almost 6,000 spots throughout B.C.

It says it is also increasing early childhood education spaces by 50 per cent, for a total of more than 1,300 new training opportunities over the coming years.

The government is also moving the age requirement for the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program so that all former youth in care in B.C. will have their tuition waived for post-secondary education.

“This program extension will create opportunities for 50,000 former youth in care in B.C.,” the province said.

The Future Ready Action Plan comes on top of other recent announcements in post-secondary and skills training.

The province is also investing $575 million in student housing to create 4,000 new spaces, for a total of 12,000 province-wide. The province has also dedicated another $190 million to bolster healthcare training.

–With files from Martin MacMahon