Sunday November 16, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
British Columbia is boosting skilled-trades training throughout the province so people can secure family-supporting jobs created through major projects.
That announcement was made by the Premier in Esquimalt on Friday.
It’s a significant deliberate step to line up a skilled workforce with large economic goals for the provincial economy going forward.
“This is about creating opportunity – giving more British Columbians the chance to train for good jobs with bigger paycheques and a more secure future,” said Premier David Eby.
“Across the province, major projects in construction, clean energy, mining and advanced technology are moving forward, and we need to make sure British Columbians benefit. By dramatically expanding skills training, we ensure projects can move without delay, and that British Columbians are first in line for these jobs,” said Eby.
Doubling the trades training funding:
During the next three years, the Province will double trades-training funding and permanently strengthen B.C.’s trades-training system.
This is made possible through a $241 million fund, which the province calls a landmark investment in skilled trades.
“Today’s historic investment strengthens our trades training system, one that is essential to building our province’s future,” said Jessie Sunner, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
“When education and skills training respond to the needs of communities, we ensure that working people get better access to good-paying jobs and people in British Columbia are first in line for the opportunities that lie ahead. By doubling down on trades training, we’re ensuring we can deliver on major projects, grow our economy and secure British Columbia’s future,” says Sunner.
“This gives young people the opportunity to train to learn a skill that will help support them and their families well into the future,” said Eby during the November 14 announcement on a trades training site.
Mobile and tower crane operator training will be fast-tracked, said Sunner.
People will be able to train locally in rural and remote areas.
Economic challenges:
“There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be to face these challenges than in British Columbia. Two-thirds of the world’s population off our shore. BC will be the new economic engine of this country.”
“Someone’s actually got to show up and make it real,” is what Eby tells project proponents who are investing in BC economic development.
Trades training is a way for young people to have a future in BC – both a home and career.
Political shift in training:
In 2003 the BC Liberal government deregulated apprenticeships. That led to a decline in the availability of apprenticeship opportunities and trades training overall.
This was pointed out at Friday’s announcement by Al Phillips, President of the BC Building Trades.
Investment goals:
The investment will:
- increase per-seat funding for apprentice programs;
- address waiting lists for critical industrial trades, ensuring faster access to training;
- advance skilled-trades certification, beginning with crane operators; and
- as opportunities evolve, ensure workers can move easily between industries.
“To deliver the provincial capital plan and the many private-investment projects in B.C., we need more highly skilled and certified tradespeople,” said Brynn Bourke, executive director, BC Building Trades.
“This funding will allow our joint board and union training schools to deliver on this and serve the needs of the industry. We welcome this historic investment in our trades-training system and we look forward to partnering with the government to foster the next generation of skilled-trade workers,” says Bourke.
The province feels that collaboration with unions, industry and post-secondary partners is central to building the programs and workforce B.C. needs.
“Through these partnerships, the Province is expanding access to training that connects people with well-paying, high-demand jobs, and helping more people in British Columbia build secure futures, while supporting the labour force needed to drive economic growth,” it was stated in a news release on November 14.
Quick Facts:
- British Columbia has a record number of people registering as apprentices with nearly 50,000 registered apprenticeships and more than 11,000 high school participants.
- SkilledTradesBC oversees nearly 90 trades programs and funds nearly 28,000 apprenticeship and foundation-training seats at public, union and private institutions.
- Since 2017, seven trades have been introduced as skilled-trades certification trades.
- Nine more have been identified for future introduction, including tower- and mobile-crane operators.
- This is the first major increase in skilled-trades training in nearly two decades.
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NEWS SECTIONS: JOBS & EMPLOYMENT | TRADES TRAINING