麻豆传媒高清

Skip to Content
View site list

Profile

Pre-Bid Projects

Pre-Bid Projects

Click here to see Canada's most comprehensive listing of projects in conceptual and planning stages

Associations, Government, Labour

Cash in: BCCA Apprenticeship Services Program still has millions to distribute

Grant Cameron
Cash in: BCCA Apprenticeship Services Program still has millions to distribute

A cash-payment program launched by the BC 麻豆传媒高清ion Association (BCCA) has so far paid out $7 million in funds from the federal government to employers who鈥檝e hired new apprentices in 39 Red Seal trades.

The BCCA Apprenticeship Services Program pays eligible employers $5,000 for each first-year apprentice. The amount doubles if the apprentice self-identifies or is deemed to be part of an equity-deserving group.

The program is the most far-reaching Red Seal apprenticeship drive ever undertaken in B.C. and was set up because the province is experiencing unprecedented demand for skilled trades in a post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

Funding for the program comes from the federal government鈥檚 apprenticeship service. BCCA, which operates as an intermediary with employers, launched its program last fall and has sent payments to more than 470 employers across the province who have registered a total of approximately 700 apprentices.

The program has registered apprentices in 33 trades. Most have been for carpenters, construction electricians and plumbers.

BCCA president Chris Atchison says the program is proving to be a hit with employers and there is still plenty of money left in the pot for them to claim.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got at least that much more to disburse,鈥 he explains. 鈥淲e are almost exactly halfway of what our goal is, so we鈥檝e still got millions available to distribute. There鈥檚 no concern about the money running out.鈥

The program is geared to help small- and medium-sized employers in B.C.鈥檚 construction industry hire and register first-year apprentices. A construction employer with fewer than 500 employees is eligible for funds for hiring new employees, registering existing ones as a first-year Red Seal apprentice, or switching an existing apprentice or journeyperson into a different Red Seal trade as a first-year apprentice.

Participating employers receive an additional $5,000 if the apprentice hired self-reports as a woman, new Canadian, LGBTQ+, Indigenous, person with a disability or a visible minority. Between 50 and 60 per cent of apprentices that are being registered are self-declaring as part of an equity-deserving group. Presently 96 per cent of workers in the province’s construction industry are male.

Under the program, employers can receive payments for up to two first-year apprenticeship positions, in each year of the two-year campaign, for a maximum of $40,000 per employer. The first fiscal year ended March 31. The second fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31, 2024.

 

 

鈥淚t really is an apprenticeship drive for the entire industry to really put value on the need for their workforce to begin that pathway to journeyperson status in one of the 39 Red Seal trades,鈥 says Atchison.

There are no strings attached to how employers can spend the money once it’s received. The BCCA is suggesting it be spent on hiring bonuses, gear and work apparel, safety equipment, to offset the cost of sick leave, training and mentoring, professional development and wage hikes for field or office staff.

Prior to receiving funds, the BCCA scrutinizes applications to make sure employers meet all the criteria.

鈥淲e validate every employer that comes into our system and we check to make sure that they have the appropriate registration to do business in B.C., that they have the appropriate safety certifications that enables them to do work here,鈥 notes Atchison. 鈥淲e make sure that they are appropriate in terms of size. We have teams that are designated to each employer that applies, to walk them through the process.鈥

Employers who register are required to disclose the new hire or existing apprentice who wants to switch to another trade. Employers can to learn more about the program and complete an application form.

When the funding stream was first announced, the BCCA wasn’t entirely sure what the uptake would be like among employers. However, the association reached out via its network of partners and ensured when employers stepped up to participate, the organization was ready to facilitate the process.

鈥淲e were a little bit nervous about what the uptake would be and we anticipated that employers would come to us and say, 鈥楪reat, yeah, I鈥檇 love the money but we鈥檝e been telling you for years we can鈥檛 find anybody,’鈥 says Atchison. 鈥淏ut what we鈥檙e finding is that roughly 90 per cent of the employers are coming to us with labour, somebody from their community, somebody from their networks.鈥

The program also dovetails nicely with a separate that was started by the BCCA to attract recruits to the industry. The purpose of the campaign is to help individuals learn more about careers in the industry.

鈥淲e have a talent pool of people with construction experience or that are either working or not working, people who are drawn to the industry because of the high-opportunity occupations,鈥 says Atchison. 鈥淲e’re sitting on a talent pool of roughly 5,000 eligible workers from British Columbia that want to be in the industry, that want to be matched with employers.鈥

The Apprenticeship Services Program will enable the BCCA to 鈥渕ine that talent pool and now make some exceptional matches within the industry.鈥

Print

Recent Comments

comments for this post are closed

You might also like