The Construction Foundation of BC (CFBC) is receiving a $1 million investment from Coast Capital towards supporting skilled trades apprentices on their pathway to Trade Qualification and Red Seal Endorsement. The investment will fund a new, no-fee, educational support program, Coast Capital Road to Red Seal, that focuses on addressing educational barriers faced by many trade students.
There is a chronic shortage of skilled trades across British Columbia. These issues have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic with challenges such as a serious lack of new entrants, a mismatch of skills to available opportunities, and increased retirements.
Additionally, completion rates for Red Seal trades are on average below 50 per cent nationally and below 41 per cent in B.C. That means that over half of those who commit to pursuing a skilled trade career are abandoning the process, resulting in reduced career advancement opportunities and, limited income potential. Often, the decision to quit a program is a direct result of educational barriers that face many trade students related to the academic portion of their training.
The Coast Capital Road to Red Seal initiative focuses on these educational barriers to encourage increased retention and completion of qualifications. The initiative offers a suite of tools and one-on-one support directly to students to address their specific challenges and support their continued progression in their program to ultimately, complete their training and achieve their Red Seal Endorsement.
“Many of the students who choose to pursue a trade gravitate towards the hands-on nature of these professions, but struggle with the academic aspects of these training programs,” explains CFBC project manager, Michelle Anderlini. “They may excel on the worksite but find themselves struggling with the required schoolwork and exams. We recognize that by addressing the need for more academic support with things like customized learning plans and one-on-one support, we can impact the outcomes for these students.”
Abigail Fulton, CFBC executive director, says that the industry often seeks to address the skilled trades shortage by focusing on promoting and recruiting new workers from high schools, offshore, or supporting those who are unemployed with the capacity to succeed in the trades.
“While this important work needs to continue,” Fulton adds, “we also need to ensure that those who are already committed to the trades have the support they need to achieve their Trade Qualification and Red Seal Endorsement. We are absolutely thrilled by Coast Capital’s generosity and foresight in supporting the skilled trades in such a significant way.”
An additional one million job openings will be available over the next decade, with 117,000 openings in the skilled trades, according to the BC Labour Market Outlook.
