Matthew Gall is on the job at VMAC in Nanaimo ahead of a provincial announcement on Monday, May 15. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

career planning

New provincial funds directing youth into B.C. manufacturing jobs

May 15, 2023 | 11:23 AM

NANAIMO — Students in post-secondary across B.C. will soon have additional support should they choose to enter a career in the manufacturing sector.

The provincial government announced $3 million in new funding for the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC), for a project focused on short-term, paid work placements for up to 500 B.C. youth aged 16 to 21.

Brenda Bailey, minister for jobs, economic development and innovation, announced the funding Monday, May 15 at VMAC just south of Nanaimo, saying there is a growing demand for a new generation in the manufacturing sector.

“Manufacturing is a growing part of our economy with 49,000 new job openings coming to the sector over the next 10 years. Now is the time to introduce young people to the sector so they’re ready to fill those jobs.”

Funding for the three year pilot project kicks in this fall, minister Bailey said.

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Credits towards secondary school graduation or apprenticeship certification will also be available for students requiring them.

Employers taking part in the program will receive upwards of $3,500 per placement to help pay for onboarding and wage costs related to the on-the-job training.

Derek Beeston, district principal of the career technical centre for School Distict 68, said providing short-term work placements provides key incentives for industry.

“The fact that the province is stepping up with money for both the worker and the employer is going to make the doors open up a lot easier and give more opportunities for students to get into places and find out what they love,” Beeston told NanaimoNewsNOW.

He said negative perceptions of the trades industry have been a long-standing issue and concern, with some parents believing their children working with their hands is not an optimum career path.

He said certified skilled trades workers in the province are highly sought after around the world.

“Anybody can go into trades, you can be incredibly smart, you can be challenged in a particular academic area and you can still find a trade where you can be incredibly successful in a well paying career,” Beeston said.

Like many industries, a shortage of workers is present in the manufacturing sector, leading to domino effects including production and shipping delays.

Sadie Craine is a 16-year-old Ladysmith Secondary School student, who’s currently taking her high school classes online as she focusses on the Trades Sampler program at VIU in Nanaimo.

Craine, an aspiring heavy duty mechanic, is pleased to be in the dual credit program.

“I’m super glad that people that people who maybe didn’t get the most support in school are getting a lot of support now at VIU because you’re with people who want to do the same thing you want to do.”

Sadie Craine said she’d like to participate in the Youth in Manufacturing Initiative, a new paid workplace program funded by the province to boost the manufacturing sector. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Craine said she’s always had a passion with working with her hands and is convinced she’ll have a career in the trades sector.

“Everything’s been moving in the right direction, I’m really excited about this.”

The average pay for a job in the manufacturing sector is $34.26 per hour, which is over 10 per cent higher than the national average.

According to the province, some companies are offering in excess of $50 per hour for jobs in aerospace, medical products, shipbuilding and other sectors.

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