The British Columbia government will require companies working on publicly funded construction projects to hire apprentices, starting on projects tendered after July 1.
B.C. apprentices often find it difficult to find an employer to sponsor them as they complete their training, which involves alternating stints of classroom training and paid work. The new requirements will apply to all contracts where the provincial government is contributing at least $15 million.
The B.C. Federation of Labour applauded the announcement, but noted the government has not set targets for the number of apprentices to be sponsored.
Employers will have to submit a report on their use of apprentices on projects before they can receive the government funding.
The provincial government is anticipating one million job openings to come available between now and 2022, with 44% of those jobs being in the trades. Much of those projections depend on the establishment of a liquefied natural gas industry, which has yet to happen.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that the B.C. government would fund the project with a $15 million investment. The $15 million figure refers to the amount the provincial government must contribute to a construction project before the requirement kicks in.
