BURST
B.C. is facing a major shortfall in skills trades.
“There are more than $88 billion of major projects ahead of us requiring up to 10,000 skilled trades people over the next several years,” says Ajay Patel, the president of Vancouver Community College says.
“A combination of retirement, out migration from the province, a drop in immigration and a need to attract young people to trades have created this skills gap,” says Patel.
“Key to addressing the gap is to attract people to a career in the trades. The number of people with university degrees who are struggling to find employment and are now signing up for programs at VCC is an indication trades are attracting talent seeking well-paying trades jobs.”
“The conversation goes beyond the trades shortages”, says Patel. “It’s really about economic competitiveness, productivity and our ability to deliver on the ambitions we have set for ourselves as a province and a country.”
Patel joined a Conversation That Matters about the skilled trades job opportunity in B.C. and how we can meet it.
Learn More about our guest’s career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join us April 28 for Conversations Live, the Conservative party of B.C. leadership candidates forum.