Industry, government grapple with trades training reform
By Hayley Woodin
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April 5, 2021, 11:00am
Brynn Bourke, interim executive director of BC Building Trades: “We can’t afford not to do this” | Submitted
The restoration of compulsory trades training appears to have strong public support in British Columbia.
Eight in 10 British Columbians are in favour of requiring tradespeople to obtain a specified level of training before working in a skilled trade, according to a recent Research Co. poll commissioned by the BC Building Trades (BCBT).
B.C. is the only province without a compulsory trades system. Supporters say that restoring such a system, which was in place in B.C. until 2003, will help build the province’s capacity to meet its skilled-trades labour shortage. Others question whether mandatory education and training requirements are enough to meet chronic skills supply challenges.