Submitted. The Fraser Valley has a new on-the-ground resource for apprentices and employer sponsors with today’s announcement of Andrew George being hired as a new Industry Training Authority (ITA) Apprenticeship Advisor.
“The surest pathway to a career is on-the-job experience, and that is what most students are looking for today,” said Abbotsford West MLA Michael de Jong. “A larger team of highly qualified apprenticeship advisors will ensure that students and employer sponsors both benefit in the process.”
Andrew George has been working and teaching as a certified Red Seal Chef for over twenty years. He is a board member of the Wenenyiik Resource Development Society, and most recently worked as a Contractor with the Aboriginal Centre at Vancouver Community College, and lead Instructor with the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation.
“With 15 Apprenticeship Advisors on the ground we have delivered on the commitment we made when we launched B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint to hire 10 more Advisors this year,” said Minister Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism & Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour. “We will continue to focus on preparing students with the advice and direction they need to succeed in their apprenticeship program and achieve a fulfilling career path.”
This hiring brings the total number of advisors throughout the province to 15. The new Apprenticeship Advisors are located in the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Prince George and have already started in their communities.
Apprenticeship Advisors serve as an extension of the ITA Customer Support team, with the primary responsibility of providing regional support to apprentices and employer sponsors, creating a positive impact on continuation and completion rates for apprenticeship. Key responsibilities include building a knowledge of the BC apprenticeship system, advising apprentices and employer sponsors, boosting apprentice success and supporting apprentice and sponsor connections.
“We have moved quickly to build our Apprenticeship Advisor team as we have already seen how crucial they are to supporting both apprentices and employers,” says Gary Herman, Industry Training Authority CEO. “Now that we have 15 Advisors in place, we look forward to working closely with local industry and apprentices in communities across the province to ensure we have the right skills, in the right place, at the right time.”
The introduction of the Apprenticeship Advisor initiative was the result of an in-depth, province-wide consultation into apprenticeship supports that took place in 2013, and included input from multiple stakeholders. It is also in direct response to the recently launched B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint as well as recommendations made in theMcDonald Report.