VICTORIA – A provincially funded program will upgrade the industry and job-specific skills of 1,200 eligible participants working in tourism and retail sectors in British Columbia.
As part of ‘Canada Starts Here – the BC Jobs Plan’, our government has invested over $4.2 million in the Workplace Training Program which provides training and development opportunities to individuals employed in the retail and tourism sectors. The program is delivered by a group of post-secondary institutions throughout B.C.
Douglas College developed the curriculum, in consultation with the affiliated institutions and current employers and employees. The essential skills training program is designed to upgrade the industry or job-specific skills of employees in these sectors.
The curriculum is developed for the retail sector and the food-and-beverage segment of the tourism sector, and it is being offered to individuals working in various occupations within those sectors -building on skill development for occupations such as sale associates,cashiers, servers, hosts, bartenders and other roles. Additional curricula may be developed for other segments of the tourism industry.
The flexible program delivery helps to accommodate the varied schedules of those currently working while taking the program. It provides 30 hours of in-class training and helps to improve customer services, developing transferable work skills and employability. At the end of the training,participants receive a Statement of Completion.
The program runs through until March 2013 and is funded through the Canada – British Columbia Labour Market Agreement (LMA). Participants for this program must be eligible for LMA funding – in this case, meaning they are employed but low-skilled (do not have a high school diploma or recognized certification and/or may have low levels of literacy and essential skills).
Okanagan College will be providing the training for our area.
To find out more about ‘Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan’, visit:http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/
To learn more about the Canada – British Columbia Labour Market Agreement, visit:http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/labourmarketagreement/