Having foresight and the fortitude to plan for the decade ahead is not an easy feat. Minister Bond’s deserves credit for sticking up for B.C. on the Canada Jobs Grant file and for tackling the skills training challenge that looms.
The Canada Jobs Fund and Canada Jobs Grant agreement in principle is good news for British Columbians. The agreement means there is a $65 million pot of money that the province will invest in skills training through the Canada Jobs Fund. It also means that the new job grant will provide up to $15,000 per person for training costs. Businesses with a plan to train British Columbians for an existing job or a better job will be eligible to apply for a Canada Job Grant. Most importantly, it will help workers get the skills they need and put skills training decisions in the hands of employers.
There is no easy solution to resolving the skills training shortage and there are challenges ahead. It is a shared responsibility between government and industry, and government is doing its share with limited and scarce resources.
What is most evident is Minister Bond is leaving no stone unturned and taking necessary steps to ensure we have a trained workforce with the skills to meet our labour demands today and tomorrow.
With the major resource and infrastructure projects pending including LNG, they are steadfastly determined to ensuring that British Columbians are first in line for those jobs.
