Liquefied Natural Gas Corridor Skills and Careers Support (“Shoulder-Tappers”)

PURPOSE: To increase the skills training and recruitment capacity of school boards along the Liquefied Natural Gas corridor in northern British Columbia.

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MINISTRY

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Ministry of Education, Government of British Columbia

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DESCRIPTION

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British Columbia’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint: Re-engineering Education and Training is designed to match the skills that British Columbia’s students acquire during their education and training programs with labour market requirements. The Strategy undertakes fundamental improvements to make education and training more effective and more relevant to the needs of industry and the workplace.

There are three pillars to the Blueprint:

• A head-start to hands-on learning in our schools – expand choices and supports for students in the K-12 system.

• A shift in education and training to better match with jobs in demand – encourage students to choose training that leads to high-demand jobs.

• A stronger partnership with industry and labour to deliver training and apprenticeships – target skills training to high-demand occupations, remove barriers, and increase the participation of industry and labour.

The Ministry of Education established one-year agreements with 12 northern K-12 school districts along the Liquefied Natural Gas corridor to employ or contract recruitment specialists and career coordinators. They are referred to as “shoulder-tappers” because their role is to employ local knowledge to tap the shoulders of employers, students, and community members to raise awareness of specific skills training opportunities. In particular, shoulder-tappers focus their efforts on highdemand occupations identified for the Liquefied Natural Gas sector and other regional economic development opportunities. The financial support is intended to help districts change future career program practices from merely advising to active partnership development. A primary objective is to increase high school student participation in Secondary School Apprenticeship and dual credit trades training programs.

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