Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour
VANCOUVER – Thirty eight First Nations individuals will receive forestry-specific training and work experience through a $500,000 Labour Market Sector Solutions (LMSS) partnership between the B.C. government, the First Nations Forestry Council and industry partners.
"This program is exactly what we need to take advantage of our significant youthful Aboriginal population, increasing demand in the forest sector work force, and the ongoing need for better relationships between First Nations, forest companies and government,” said Chief Bill Williams, president of the First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC).
Funded through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement (LMA), the First Nations' Forestry Training Project will prepare eligible First Nations individuals for skilled employment in the forestry industry. The program will be delivered through accredited training institutions in British Columbia including Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, Selkirk College, the College of New Caledonia and other public post-secondary organizations.
Participants will be directed into one of three program options, including:
• Forestry technician program – This eight-month academic program with four-month work term can result in transferable credits to toward a natural resources technician certificate or other forestry-related certification such as a natural resource technology diploma.
• Forestry-related trades training – Participants learn basic forestry employment certifications for areas such as process operators, millwrights, stationary engineers, saw filers, harvesting and logging equipment operators and hand fallers.
• Laddering and upgrading programs – This program will prepare participants, who are not academically qualified to enter directly into the forestry technician or the forestry- related trades training program, to move into an accredited forestry-related educational path.
In order to qualify for the program, participants must be either unemployed and not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI), or employed but low-skilled. In addition, they must not have received or been eligible for EI in the last 36 months, they cannot already be a student, they must be living in British Columbia, and they cannot have received parental benefits within the last five years.
The British Columbia First Nations Forestry Council promotes First Nations business opportunities in forestry, collaborates with government on forest land use planning, tenure and revenue sharing and advocates on forestry matters on behalf of First Nations communities.
As a direct result of federal LMA funding, thousands of British Columbians are receiving training that will advance their careers, assist in securing new employment and ultimately improve the social and economic outcomes of individuals in B.C. and Canada. The LMA is one of the funding mechanisms to address B.C.'s labour and skills shortages.
Government is actively creating awareness and encouraging Aboriginal people to consider careers in the trades through programs like the Aboriginal Community-Based Delivery Partnerships Program and the Aboriginal Training for Employment Program. The programs are supported by the BC Jobs Plan and the BC Skills and Training Plan, which invests $75 million for new capital and equipment to complement $500 million in annual investments in skills and trades training programs.