Premier David Eby says a new educational facility centre at Vancouver Community College worth almost $300 million will help build a clean economy while filling labour shortages.
On Thursday (July 20), Eby announced $271.3 million of public money toward the construction of the Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation at the post-secondary institution. VCC will put $20 million of its own money toward the proposed eight-storey building to be located on its Broadway campus for a total of $291.3 million.
B次元官网网址淚t will train up to 1,400 people in a number of state-of-the-art careers including light rail transit vehicle technicians for our expanded transit system, wind turbine technicians for clean energy across the province, zero emission vehicle specialists for electric cars and several other clean energy design and tech-focused careers,B次元官网网址� Eby said.
Plans call for the first students to take classes in the fall of 2027 with construction of the concrete building scheduled to start in the spring of 2024.
Ajay Patel, president and chief executive officer of the college, said the funding will serve as a catalyst, not only for the campus, its neighbourhood and region, but also the province.
B次元官网网址淭hese jobs are going to be in high demand and support the provinceB次元官网网址檚 training, labour market and environmental goals,B次元官网网址� Patel said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about building an inclusive, clean and sustainable future for generations.B次元官网网址�
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The provincial government says B.C. is expecting one million job openings over the next decade with nearly 80 per cent of those jobs requiring post-secondary education and skills training.
Post-Secondary Education Minister Selina Robinson touched on these numbers in touting the investment.
B次元官网网址淭he Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation is a big, responsive step in equipping British Columbians with the knowledge and skills they need today to succeed in the high-paying, in-demand jobs of tomorrowB次元官网网址檚 economy and labour market,B次元官网网址� she said.
The automobile industry is one of many industries facing a labour crunch. According to Blair Qualey, president and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC, the industry will need over 20,000 new hires to fill projected job openings across all aspects of the industry, from jobs in management to sales to technical areas.
Automative technicians will especially face a different environment as vehicles powered by combustion engines make increasingly way to EVs. According to provincial figures, the number of registered light-duty EVs has risen to more than 100,000 today from 5,000 in 2016 as car companies are shifting production toward EVs.
Kellyn Violot, Service Manager at Audi Downtown Vancouver part of the Dilawri Group of Companies, touched on this aspect in welcoming the funding.
B次元官网网址淲e believe, like the (provincial government) that we need to invest in B.C. and its future workers,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭he future is electric. So we all need to adapt and work towards a better more sustainable future.B次元官网网址�
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