The Northern Construction Association is showing its support for local construction initiatives, and addressing the skills gap.
CEO Scott Bone says there is $60 billion worth of projects in Northern BC in 2016 alone, and he’s looking for young tradespeople to hire.
“The opportunities are there and when we look at at 25,400 positions that are going to be required over the next eight years, there are some wonderful opportunities for some of these young students that are looking for some long-term employment and a career to look at the trades as an opportunity.”
For the high school grads and college students thinking about getting into in the trades, he says it’s worth your while.
“These positions are in demand and certainly when there’s a demand there’s pay associated with it so we know that welders and electricians and those types of positions are highly paid and rewarding for these students.”
The Northern Construction Association is visiting high schools to encourage these careers. Right now, 2 in 3 BC trades workers are over 45 and about 1 in 5 high school grads are needed to fill an upcoming void. Currently, only about 1 in 70 grads are entering the trades.