BC Government Caucus
KAMLOOPS – The provincial government has provided Thompson Rivers University with $387,840 for 70 critical trade seats to reduce wait times for students entering an in-demand trade profession.
TRU’s funding will go toward the following programs:
• Welding: 18 Foundation seats
• Carpentry: 18 Foundation seats
• Heavy Mechanical Trades: 18 Foundation seats
• Millwright: 16 Foundation seats
“Trades foundation programs give students the opportunity to take their first step on a path to trades certification,” Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake said. “This funding will bring more students into trades programs, allowing them to enter the workforce and apply their specialized training in one of the in-demand sectors.”
TRU’s support is part of a $6.1-million initiative to fund 1,429 additional critical trade seats this year in 14 public post-secondary institutions throughout the province and supports B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint.
Foundation training programs provide students with the basic knowledge and skills needed for entry into a particular occupation. Students receive credit for the first level of apprenticeship training in a specific field by the Industry Training Authority (ITA) upon successful completion.
B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint outlines how the provincial government is re-engineering the education system – from kindergarten through to post-secondary training and beyond – to make sure education and training aligns with B.C. jobs.
B.C. expects one million job openings by 2022. More than 78 per cent of jobs will require some form of post-secondary education.