Premier announces funding for forestry and mining training
B.C. premier Christy Clark announced $1.6 million for skills training programs at Thompson Rivers University while visiting the Williams Lake campus in May 2012.
“Our government is proud to support students in the trades by investing in classroom skills training that is in high demand in the Cariboo,” said Clark. “Having access to training programs like the ones offered at Thompson Rivers University is the first step towards helping meet the continued demand for skilled workers in priority industries like mining and forestry.”
Programs will include heavy equipment operator training for the mining, road building and construction sector, developing skills on eight different pieces of equipment. A total of 80 students will be enrolled in this Employment Skills Access initiative, with truck driver classes beginning in May.
Employment Skills Access provides eligible participants with tuition-free, group-based training at public post-secondary institutions throughout the province in order to prepare them for entry or re-entry into the labour market. Participants must be Labour Market Agreement eligible, meaning they are unemployed, non-EI individuals or are employed, low-skilled workers.
Over the next decade, British Columbia is projected to have over one million job openings.
