BC Hydro investing to support trades training

BC Hydro Northern Lights College Bursaries support trades training, apprenticeships, and workforce development in northern B.C., funding access to post-secondary education for Aboriginal and underserved students, aligned with Site C and Peace region industry.

DAWSON CREEK – Students and residents in northern British Columbia will benefit from $1-million in funding by BC Hydro to support trades and skills training at Northern Lights College.

BC Hydro is providing the funding to the Northern Lights College Foundation over a five-year period to support the development of skilled workers in the north, similar to a work-study program model, targeting those students who may not otherwise have access to post-secondary education.

The Northern Lights College Foundation will use the $1-million in funding to provide student bursaries, focusing on recruitment and retention of students in the electricity sector across Canada. Fifty per cent of the funding for bursaries will be dedicated to Aboriginal students. Applications will start being accepted in early 2013, with bursaries being awarded for the fall 2013 school year.

Developing skilled trades workers in northern B.C. is important for local industry, BC Hydro’s current facilities in the Peace region, and its proposed Site C Clean Energy Project Site C, which would require an estimated 7,000 person-years of construction-related employment, if approved.

BC Hydro and Northern Lights College are working collaboratively to identify the skills and trades that would benefit most from the bursary funding and align with emerging energy training programs across the country.

The funding provided by BC Hydro to the Northern Lights College Foundation will be used for bursaries targeting programs such as the Electrician Apprenticeship and Foundation, and related power systems training opportunities abroad.

Northern Lights College NLC is B.C.'s Energy College, serving northern British Columbia in an area covering more than 324,000 square kilometres.

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