Federally Funded Program Offers Double Funding to Employers Hiring Self-Identifying Apprentices
The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) is offering double the funds to construction companies if they hire apprentices who self-identify as being part of an “equity deserving group.” The program is funded by the federal government.
The organization then offers double the funds, or $10,000, for every first-year apprentice registered who “self-identifies” as a woman, indigenous, disabled, or from the LGBT community.
“Continuing to improve diversity within BC’s construction industry remains a critical goal of this project,” says the release.
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“An additional $5,000 is issued if the apprentice self identifies as part of an equity deserving group, as part of an effort to redress underrepresentation in the trades.”
“Canada needs more skilled trades workers. We need more women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, racialized Canadians, and individuals from the 2SLGBTQI+ community to join the skilled trades,” Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault said in the release.
The BCCA said the program is the most “far-reaching” apprenticeship drive ever taken in the province. Around $10 million has already been given to small and medium-sized businesses, the release says, with another $4 million available.
According to the BCCA, about $6 million in funding has gone to B.C. employers with first-year apprentices in carpentry, construction, electricity, and plumbing.
The Apprenticeship Service project launched in Sept. 2022 and has funded 1,329 apprenticeships to over 700 companies, the release said.
Employers are permitted to register two apprentices a year, for up to $20,000. BCCA says about 51 percent of apprentices have self-identified as part of an aforementioned group, qualifying their employers for double the money.
“The Apprenticeship Services project has become one of the most successful workforce development programs the BCCA has ever launched,” said BCCA President Chris Atchison in the release.
BCCA’s news release says the non-profit organization serves over 10,000 employers in the province’s industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential construction industries.
In 2021, about 215,800 people were employed in the construction industry in B.C., which represents 8.1 percent of employment in the province. However, there is a projected shortfall of over 25,000 workers by 2028.
Statistics Canada data indicates that 85 percent of workers in the industry are male and 15 percent are female.
