A new provincial fund is aimed at rebuilding the workforce and reputation of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 construction industry.
B次元官网网址淪adly, the construction industry is not a top career choice for young people,B次元官网网址� Ren茅 Ragetli, director of project operations at the Construction Foundation of British Columbia, said Wednesday (Oct. 11). B次元官网网址淲e all need to work collectively to change that. A healthy construction workforce can transform social and economic well-being for all (of) B.C. and we need our next generation on board and inspired to build a better future for all of us.B次元官网网址�
Construction Foundation of British Columbia is a registered charity that offers grants and bursaries as part of a larger agenda to draw more young people into the industry.
Ragetli, who says he spends about 80 per cent of his time in the K-to-12 system, made these comments as Post-Secondary Education Minister Selina Robinson announced the Workplace Innovation Fund. Robinson framed it as part and parcel of her governmentB次元官网网址檚 plans to build more homes.
B次元官网网址淲e also know B次元官网网址� and I have heard that from the construction sector over and over again, that workforce recruitment and retention challenges have gotten more challenging over the last number of years,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪o to deliver more homes for people, the construction sector has to succeed,B次元官网网址� she added.
The fund is part of a government education push worth $480 million over three years. It offers up to $5 million for individual projects in any of five areas: the adoption of technologies and steps to improve productivity; the improvement of workplace cultures and hiring practices to attract and retain workers including workers from under-represented and diverse groups; the development of innovative training practices; the raising of the prestige and awareness of the construction industry and its careers; and the streamlining of career paths for newcomers.
Ragetli welcomed the fund, adding that it will help in making the industry more attractive. He said a B次元官网网址渨hole host of issuesB次元官网网址� make the industry appear B次元官网网址渁lienB次元官网网址� to most high school students. Those issues include B次元官网网址減erceptions around safetyB次元官网网址� in the industry, a B次元官网网址渓ack of awareness of training opportunitiesB次元官网网址� and a B次元官网网址渓arge lack of awareness around payB次元官网网址� and advancement.
Other factors come into play as well, he added.
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B次元官网网址淭he audience is not (just) students, but itB次元官网网址檚 very much educators, teachers, (whose) perceptions of what workplaces are, are sometimes 40 years out of date,B次元官网网址� Ragetli said, adding that parents also need to be reached. B次元官网网址淭here (are) lots of different ways of letting them know that this is a 21st century industry.B次元官网网址�
It is also an industry that is short of workers. While it employs some 216,000 individuals, provincial figures peg the number of expected job vacancies at just under 73,000 for the period until 2032.
Brynn Bourke is the executive director of BC Building Trades, which represents about 40,000 unionized construction workers. She said her industry may be busier than ever, but is grappling with a skilled trade shortage that needs to be addressed.
B次元官网网址淲e hope that this fund can help expand our training offerings to address the shortage and to provide more opportunities for people entering the trade,B次元官网网址� Bourke said. She added that that the recruitment focus lies on B次元官网网址渋mproving equity, diversity and inclusion so that more women, more Indigenous people and more underrepresented groups can find their opportunity in a trade.B次元官网网址�
In July 2023, the industry lost 20,000 jobs in the face of rising interest rates and other factors with the overall numbers pointing downward since 2022. This said, the industry added almost 13,000 jobs in September.
Bourke warns against reading too much into those figures.
While some major marque projects like Site C and LNG Canada may be winding down, B.C. is currently experiencing B次元官网网址渉istoric government investment in infrastructure,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淲e are seeing more hospitals, we are seeing more schools, we are seeing a massive investment in housing,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e will need every worker that we have right now and we are going to need to need them for the next 10 yearsB次元官网网址o the future is very bright for construction.B次元官网网址�
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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