Submitted. School District 34 in Abbotsford will receive $40,000 in
funding for the Youth Work in Trades program to boost trades training
for young people in the province.
Youth Work in Trades, formerly Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA),
is a dual credit program that provides an opportunity for B.C. students
in grades 10, 11 and 12 to begin their apprenticeship journey. The
funds support school districts in placing students with local employers
to attain practical experience. Students will earn a paycheque while
gaining credit toward their high school diploma and the apprenticeship
portion of their trades training.
Allocation of Youth Work in Trades funding reflects regional and school
districts’ needs. These funding opportunities directly support the
goals of B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint to realign training
investments to better prepare the province’s youth for a successful
career in skilled trades.
The funding helps districts cover staffing costs to support and guide
youth in securing jobs and employer sponsorship required to enter the
trades apprenticeship system. It will also help youth transition from
technical training to work-based training, and build further awareness
of opportunities in the skilled trades among youth, parents, educators
and employers in their communities.
The B.C. government committed an additional $7.8 million from Budget
2016 to the Industry Training Authority (ITA) for its youth program
expansion over the next three years. This has allowed the ITA to expand
its youth trades training programs including the funding of an
additional 18 school districts in 2016-17, for a total of 45 school
districts.
In response to the objectives outlined in B.C.’s Skills for Jobs
Blueprint and the McDonald Report, the B.C. government has worked in
partnership with the ITA to begin building a demand-driven trades-
training system with funding aligned to specific in-demand trades.
The provincial government invests more than $94 million annually in
industry training through the ITA. The ITA leads and co-ordinates
British Columbia’s skilled trades system by working with employers,
employees, industry, labour, training providers and government to issue
credentials, manage apprenticeships, set program standards and increase
opportunities in the trades.
The second annual Apprenticeship Recognition Week was held Oct. 31 to
Nov. 4 in celebration of apprentices and their employers throughout the
province.