NIC Working With Government, Community Partners To Fund More Short-Term Skills Training

North Island College and its community partners are bringing together potential employees with employers that need skilled workers through new short-term training programs.

The College and partner organizations have been able to work with the provincial government to secure $802,000 in funding from the Community Workforce Response Grant.

“First of all, we identify the need in the community,” said Bob Haugen, NIC Director, Continuing Education and Contract Training.

“The community has input into what the training is.”

These programs are short-term, aimed at assisting industries in need of workers and offered at no cost to students.

“Students get lots of hands-on experience,” Haugen said. “They don’t pay anything as the tuition and supports are covered by the training grant.”

This funding is provided through the Government of Canada through the Canada-British Columbia Workforce Development Agreement.

The Community Workforce Response Grant supports programming aimed at meeting communities' labour market needs.

For several years now, the College says it has worked with First Nations and other partners to provide courses that help people gain necessary skills which are needed around the North Island region.

The programs are short-term, aimed at assisting industries in need of workers and offered at no cost to students.

In Campbell River, an industrial sewing program teaches basics for sectors, such as the automotive and marine industries. So far, of the 12 students that attended the NIC industrial sewing course, more than half have already found work or opened their own business.

In the Comox Valley, there has been a program in conjunction with LUSH Valley Food Action Society and the North Vancouver Island Chefs Association, which provides training through a Food Prep and Mobile Kitchen Training program.

Students get 180 hours of training in cooking basics, especially around the growing food truck business, at the new kitchen and in the Farmer's Kitchen food truck, all onsite at LUSH Valley headquarters.

To see the full release, visit North Island College.