John Rustad, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation:

“We want Aboriginal people to be part of the local, skilled labour force when it comes to filling the million job openings expected by 2022. B.C.’s Blueprint includes funding for community-based delivery of training to ensure that Aboriginal people are positioned to take advantage of those job openings.”
•By 2022, B.C. is expecting one million job openings in B.C created by retirements and our growing economy.
•More than 78% of jobs will require some form of post-secondary education, and 43% will needs skilled trades and technical workers.
•Based on a scenario with five LNG plants constructed in B.C. between 2015 and 2024, the LNG sector has the potential for $175 billion in industry investment over the next decade and up to 100,000 jobs (58,700 direct and indirect construction jobs, 23,800 permanent direct and indirect jobs for operations, and thousands more of induced jobs as a result of households having more income).
•At peak construction in 2018, the LNG sector will require 58,700 workers.

The Government of British Columbia will re-engineer B.C.’s education and apprenticeship systems.

British Columbia currently invests more than $7.5 billion annually in education and training. Re-engineering B.C.’s education and training system means targeting more of these resources to meet labour market priorities. Beginning this fiscal year, over $160 million will be allocated to re-engineering education and training in B.C. In four years, this will reach nearly $400 million annually. And over the span of the Province’s 10 Year Plan, this represents about $3 billion redirected toward training for high-demand occupations.

B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint lays out a major shift to a data-driven system where training dollars and programs are targeted to jobs in demand. This system will also be outcome focused. Success will be measured and funding and programs adjusted as the economy evolves.

The Blueprint delivers on the throne-speech promise to give young people a seamless path from school through to the workplace. Anchored by a strong emphasis on labour needs throughout the province, including those of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, B.C.’s Blueprint sets out three overarching objectives to maximize the potential of B.C.’s workforce:
1.A head-start to hands-on learning in our schools.
2.A shift in education and training to better match jobs in demand.
3.A stronger partnership with industry and labour to deliver training and apprenticeships.