NEWS RELEASE
Apprentice Job Match Tool to Better Support Job-Seeking Apprentices and Help Increase Continuation and Completion Rates
Burnaby, BC – The Industry Training Authority (ITA) and WorkBC today launched a new innovative online Apprentice Job Match tool which will better connect Lower Mainland apprentices looking for on-the-job training they need to boost their skills and achieve certification in their chosen trade. Watch a video of the new tool in action.
The launch of this new tool is well-timed with the provincial government proclaiming November 7, 2014, as BC’s inaugural “Apprenticeship Recognition Day”. This day will help raise awareness of the importance of developing a highly trained and skilled workforce for key sectors of BC’s growing economy where skilled trades are needed.
The online Apprentice Job Match tool is located on WorkBC’s website which has over 20,000 visitors daily and 10,000 job postings. Finding an employer sponsor is one of the biggest hurdles to a successful apprenticeship. With over 37,000 registered apprentices in BC, and over 9,400 employer sponsors, the need to connect apprentices to local employers is greater than ever.
The Apprentice Job Match tool was launched locally at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), where Foundation program students, local employers, and other industry stakeholders joined Minister Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, Richard T. Lee, MLA for Burnaby North, and Jeff Nugent, ITA COO, to learn more about how the tool works, and how it can assist them in their job or apprentice search.
“Helping apprentices find employer sponsors is critical to improving apprenticeship completion rates and ensuring industry has the skilled labour it needs to take advantage of our growing economy,” says Minister Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour. “Through our Skills for Jobs Blueprint, we committed to improving the way we connect apprentices and employers, and the Apprentice Job Match tool is providing an easy and accessible way to do exactly that.”
“Ensuring that apprentices and employers connect is critical to a successful apprenticeship. 80 percent of an apprentice’s journey is spent in practical training under the guidance of the employer,” says Jeff Nugent, ITA COO. “ITA is excited to launch this invaluable online Apprentice Job Match tool, and it’s fitting that we do so on BC’s first annual Apprenticeship Recognition Day.”
“Finding a job that fits one’s skills and training level, and seeking a suitable candidate who matches the job requirements can be difficult,” says Burnaby North MLA, Richard T. Lee. “With the new online Apprentice Job Match tool, both jobseekers and employers will be better able to find the right match.”
“As one of the largest providers of trades training programs in Western Canada, BCIT is proud to work with ITA and WorkBC in launching the Apprentice Job Match tool,” says Kathy Kinloch, President, BCIT. “This tool will be able to better connect our students with the employers who are looking to build their skilled workforce.”
“Today’s youth are our future builders. Together with the ITA, and the Apprentice Job Match tool we can be certain that the knowledge, skills, abilities and desires of today’s workforce are matched with the companies that can provide the next generation of skilled tradespeople with the opportunity and training for personal fulfillment in their chosen career,” says Rob Zadra, Co-Founder, PJB Mechanical Plumbing and Heating.
“As a foundation student, you are brand new to the industry and it can be difficult getting your foot in the door with a company to begin your apprenticeship,” says Tanner White, BCIT Piping Foundation program student. “This new Apprentice Job Match tool can help students like me to not only gain initial employment, but also help to seek new employment opportunities throughout our apprenticeship.”
By 2022, there are expected to be one million job openings in British Columbia. These job openings will be created by major new opportunities, including expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG), new mines and mining expansions, expanding shipbuilding, growing forestry exports, and increased activity in transportation. ITA is committed to building a skilled workforce to help ensure that British Columbians have the skills they need to be first in line for the many opportunities coming our way across the province.
The Introduction of the Apprentice Job Match tool is part of ITA’s increased efforts to better support apprentices through the apprenticeship pathway and to increase continuation and completion rates across the province. It also delivers on recommendations outlined in B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint: Re-engineering Education and Training and the McDonald Report.
Want to learn more about Apprentice Job Match? ITA is hosting a webinar on November 12, 2014 to take BC apprentices and employers through the online job match process step-by-step.
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For interviews, photos or more information, please contact:
Susan Kirk
Director of Communications, ITA
Tel: 778.785.2410
Cell: 604.307.2122
Email: skirk@itabc.ca
Jennifer Vallance
Edelman Vancouver
Tel: 604.648.3433
Cell: 604.710.6382
Email: jennifer.vallance@edelman.com
Hashtags: #skills4bc #findyourfit