Monday November 14, 2022 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Training youth for truck driving employment opportunities is also a way to help improve highway safety.
The new provincial Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) project will see as many as 16 eligible British Columbians receive skills training to prepare for employment as professional truck drivers.
“Graduates of this training program will receive the mandatory entry-level training (MELT), which has been required for new commercial truck drivers since October 2021,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “We are helping people become professional drivers, while also making our highways safe.”
Helping youth:
The new provincial Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) project focuses on training for youth in the West Kootenays.
“This project is empowering youth by providing them new and rewarding employment opportunities in a high-demand sector that could lead them to a brighter future,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
“Participants who graduate from the program will receive their Class 1 licence, along with the skills and knowledge they need to find rewarding careers in the professional trucking industry in our province,” said Simons in a news release today.
Four intakes:
The Province is providing more than $340,000 to the Mountain Transport Institute to deliver four intakes of its professional Class 1 driver-training program in the West Kootenays.
Participants will receive 10 weeks of employability and occupational skills training, including certification courses in Workplace Hazardous Material Information Systems (WHMIS) and Level 1 First Aid with CPR, four weeks of on-the-job experience with local employers, and two weeks of followup support to prepare participants for their job search.
Just over a year ago, it was announced that in BC there is new Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) for commercial big-truck drivers, requiring at least 140 hours instruction. That MELT training became mandatory on October 18, 2021.
Full-time, group-based learning for the first intake of the project started last week on Monday November 7, 2022. The second intake starts January 3, 2023, with the third intake targeted for the end of February, and the fourth and final intake starting in April 2023. People interested in finding out about this or other CEP projects can contact their local WorkBC centre [WorkBC Westshore | WorkBC Sooke].
Aligned with Future Ready:
“Our government is providing more people with the education and experience they need to join a growing number of professional truck drivers in the region,” said Andrew Mercier, Parliamentary Secretary for Skills Training.
“Aligned with our Future Ready plan, the program provides more British Columbians with the professional training and skills they need to be successful in this growing sector.”
BC sees one million jobs to be filled in the next 10 years with about 80% of those jobs requiring some level of post-secondary training. That was announced in February 2022 by Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation Minister Ravi Kahlon and Advanced Education & Skills Training Minister Anne Kang.
Careers in transportation:
“We developed this training with the thought of providing people a pathway to a career in transportation,” said Andy Roberts, president, Mountain Transport Institute Ltd.
“This program exceeds the minimum MELT standard in B.C. and provides theoretical and practical knowledge students need to become qualified entry-level professional drivers. After obtaining their Class 1 licence, students are further supported by our industry partners with on-the-job training to get their careers rolling,” said Roberts in a BC government news release today.
This announcement is part of StrongerBC’s Future Ready plan, which is making education and training more accessible, affordable and relevant to help businesses grow and prepare British Columbians for jobs.
Supply chain impacts:
Drivers of large commercial trucks are key players in helping maintain the supply chain for food and numerous other items that support the overall economy.
===== Quick Facts:
* Funding for the project is provided through the Project Based Labour Market Training stream of WorkBC’s CEP.
* CEP investments are targeted at projects that support an inclusive economic recovery.
* CEP projects support B.C. job seekers’ training and work experience, and help businesses and communities address labour market challenges.
* Through CEP, the Province invests $15 million annually in communities throughout B.C.
===== LINKS (from BC Government):
Learn how CEPs are helping local communities: www.workbc.ca/Employment-Services/Community-and-Employer-Partnerships.aspx
Learn how WorkBC can help find British Columbians jobs that are right for them: www.workbc.ca/rightforyou
Find your local WorkBC centre: https://www.workbc.ca/Employment-Services/WorkBC-Centres/WorkBC-Centres-Listing.aspx
Mountain Transport Institute: https://www.drivemti.com/melt-info/
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends reports on news through a socioeconomic lens about the economy, politics, communities, education, health and other aspects of leadership and decision-making that affects people’s everyday lives.
Articles are posted at islandsocialtrends.ca and subscribers receive news by email.
Island Social Trends Editor Mary P Brooke has been reporting on west shore, south Vancouver Island, British Columbia and the impact of national issues on this region, since 2008: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), West Shore Voice News (2014-2020), and Island Social Trends (2020 to present).