New bursary limit of up to $7,500 for training leading to specialized, high-demand jobs
Sometimes, short-term training is all a person needs to be hired for the job. Yet some Columbia Basin residents have difficulty affording that training. Columbia Basin Trust’s Training Fee Support program offers a bursary to help unemployed or underemployed individuals afford the training they need to secure immediate employment—and now provides even more funding for training leading to certain specialized, high-demand jobs.
Delivered by College of the Rockies, the program continues to offer up to $800 toward training of six months or less. At the same time, the Trust has recognized that some employers are in great need of skilled employees, but that the costs of short-term training for these positions are higher. In these instances, such as for a heavy equipment operator or health care clerk, the Trust is now offering a specialized training bursary for 10 high-demand job areas. This bursary will fund up to 75 per cent of the cost of training, to a maximum of $7,500.
“The need for higher-skilled labour in the region keeps increasing, and local employers are having a hard time attracting employees,” said Lisa Kilpatrick, Senior Manager, Economic. “Getting people into training means getting them into the workforce or into more sustainable employment, which benefits the individual, the business and the Basin economy as a whole.”
Winlaw resident Alfred Moore obtained funding to take his Class 1 drivers licence. “I was working in the construction industry and I was getting lots of random layoffs at inopportune times,” he said. “I was looking for something that was more steady.” Thanks to the bursary, he’s now employed with a logging company in Nakusp. “It definitely helped me find work.”
Visit your local WorkBC employment service centre to discuss eligibility for these training bursaries, including the 10 high-demand job areas which include:
- Class 1 Driver
- Heavy Equipment Operator
- Prep Cook
- Programmer and Coders
- Office/Business Administration
- Forestry Work
- Health Care Clerk
- Security Guard/Officer
- Construction
- Adventure Tourism
Over the past five years, the program has given over $1.3 million in bursaries toward over 3,500 training opportunities. Click here to learn more about the bursaries.
This program is one of the ways the Trust is strengthening the workforce in the region. Learn more about economic initiatives here. For example, it recently implemented the Career Internship Program, which helps employers afford to hire recent post-secondary graduates. It also offers scholarships and bursaries for post-secondary students.
