BACKGROUNDER 2003MAE0039-000857 Sept. 29, 2003 Ministry of Advanced Education PILOT INDUSTRY TRAINING PROJECTS SEPTEMBER 2003 Project Location Funding 1. Secondary school transition to auto collision trades training $97,000 Burnaby, Vancouver More autobody repair jobs are becoming available as the number of vehicles in B.C. increases. However, students awareness of the career potential in this field is low. Through this project, students in the Burnaby and Vancouver school districts will start their training for a career in auto collision repair while they are in high school. They will be given theory classes and hands-on instruction at Vancouver Community College s King Edward campus. Credits will apply simultaneously to secondary school graduation, college and the first year of their apprenticeship. 2. Home builder framing technician curriculum, training program $86,000 Abbotsford, Vancouver Home-building contractors, particularly in the Lower Mainland, are competing for skilled workers as B.C. building permits increase at double the national rate. This program gives students in the Abbotsford and Vancouver school districts credit towards graduation as well as a new framing technician credential that will be issued by the Canadian Home Builders Association of B.C. Training in safety and the use of tools will start in the schools, followed by two to three months of instruction in framing. During the summer, students will have mentored work experience to qualify for writing Level 1 carpentry apprenticeship exams. The University College of the Fraser Valley will help develop curriculum and learning materials and give advice. 3. Basic construction entry level trades training $75,000 Cowichan Valley The Cowichan Valley is emerging from an economic downturn caused by resource-based industries shutting down over the past five years. The demand for housing has risen, and because of skills shortages, local contractors are recruiting from outside the region. In this project, students in the Cowichan school district will be matched with a journeyperson and registered in the secondary school apprenticeship program in September. They will accumulate paid work experience toward the hours needed to earn credits towards graduation as well as towards their carpentry apprenticeships. In the second semester, they will complete a five-month, full-time basic construction program combining theory and practice, taught by Malaspina University- College instructors, and will write the Level 1 carpentry apprenticeship exam.
- 2-4. Carpentry direct entry trades training for secondary students $90,650 Surrey The value of building permits in Surrey is expected to increase by $84 million in 2003. Major building projects are planned over the next 15 years throughout the Lower Mainland, and a skills shortage in the building trades is expected to worsen. In this project, the Surrey school district will work with Kwantlen University College to increase the number of grades 11 and 12 students who have carpentry skills and technical training at the level of a first-year carpentry apprentice. Credits apply to high school graduation and will also give students a carpentry citation from Kwantlen, which includes Level 1 technical trade training. Three local construction associations and the Surrey Chamber of Commerce will match students with jobs when they graduate. 5. Construction carpentry $72,000 Greater Victoria and the Gulf Islands A local labour market study by CEDCO Victoria, published in May 2002, found a shortage of skilled workers in the construction field. The study also noted the challenge of finding youth who are interested in construction careers. This project provides an exploratory internship for high school students in the Greater Victoria, Sooke, Saanich and Gulf Islands school districts. Those who complete the program will receive their high school diploma and a citation from Camosun College in industry training. High school and Camosun instructors will teach the integrated course. The Canadian Home Builders Association and the Construction Association of Victoria will provide work and job-site training. 6. Aboriginal youth in carpentry trade project $72,000 Agassiz, Abbotsford Grades 11 and 12 students from the First Nations Seabird Island community school, which has no trades training established yet, will take Level 1 carpentry technical training at the University College of the Fraser Valley s Abbotsford campus for four months, for credit towards apprenticeship. When they graduate, the Seabird Island band will provide work experience on the band s many housing projects, which currently rely on contractors hired outside the community. The school expects graduation rates and the numbers of students going on to post-secondary education will improve through this project. 7. Kootenay region two-trades project $60,950 Cranbrook, Kimberley, Creston This project responds to an increasing need for carpenters and mechanics in the Kootenays, where resource industries employ both trades, and added demand is being created by tourism construction, including new golf courses and resorts, as well as airport expansion. a. Common core mechanics. A 10-week program will give students at Prince Charles secondary in Creston four high school graduation credits, as well as six weeks credit towards four different mechanics programs at the College of the Rockies, saving time and tuition. Some courses will be offered online. b. Carpentry. Students from Selkirk secondary in Kimberley and Mount Baker secondary in Cranbrook who are judged capable of finishing their entry level carpentry training in five months will spend the fall semester of Grade 12 at the College of the Rockies. They will return to their high schools in February to complete Grade 12, and will graduate with their Dogwood diplomas plus first-level carpentry credit towards their apprenticeships. Students will be indentured as apprentices while in high school.
- 3-8. Culinary arts training $90,000 a. Culinary arts training program, North Vancouver, Vancouver. No post-secondary culinary arts training is available on the North Shore, and there is a 13-month waiting list for the program at Vancouver Community College. This program in the North Vancouver school district give students 1,400 hours of culinary arts training throughout grades 11 and 12, and they will receive a certificate from Vancouver Community College that is equivalent to the first six months of VCC s 12-month program. The college will create a class, starting at the seven-month level, specifically for these graduates. b. Howe Sound cooks training program, Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, North Vancouver. There is a shortage of trained cooks in the hospitality industry in the Howe Sound corridor. Capilano College and Howe Sound secondary in Squamish will work together to offer a four-month cook training course, with classroom courses taught at the college and practical work done in the high school s industrial kitchen. Work experience will be developed in partnership with local businesses. Students will finish with Level 1 of cook apprenticeship training. 9. Integrated trade and technology pathway model $79,400 Fort St. John, Dawson Creek Graduation levels and the percentage of graduates who go on to post-secondary education are lower in northeastern B.C. than the provincial average. Demand for skilled tradespeople is increasing, especially in the oil and gas industry. In addition, post-secondary institutions have difficulty acquiring current equipment for their students to use. This project will fast-track students into the electrical trade, which is expected to increase their graduation rate by providing relevance to their studies. Students will take common core preparation for trades and get their safety tickets while at North Peace senior secondary in Fort St. John. They will complete levels 1 and 2 of their theory for trades training at Northern Lights College, and do six-week work terms on industry sites, where they will work as assistants to fully qualified electricians, one on one, and have access to the machinery currently used in industry. Their Red Seal apprenticeships will be streamlined, with completion in 39 months instead of four years. 10. Horticulture trades training $56,867 Kelowna This project will test an accelerated, dual-credit program in Kelowna, where no training has been available despite the growing the demand for trained horticultalists. In this dual-credit program, Grade 12 students will attend Mount Boucherie secondary for their first semester, working at an approved job in the horticulture industry one day a week. In the second semester, they will continue with their jobs while attending Okanagan University College for further horticulture training. When they graduate, students will have their Dogwood diplomas as well ascertification from the university college plus credit for levels 1 and 2 apprenticeship technical training. 11. Machinist core program $92,700 Vancouver, Burnaby This program will provide grades 11 and 12 students at Vancouver Technical School with advanced machinist training that will give them credits at the B.C. Institute of Technology, where program demand is high. Content and standards used at BCIT will be duplicated in the high school, where the BCIT course material will be taught in two 80-minute classes every second day to allow flexibility in the students timetables. During summer breaks, students will be placed in apprenticeships and earn time towards their trades qualification. Creo Inc. will place apprentices and sit on the steering committee.
- 4-12. Computer numeric controlled machining $58,000 Vernon, Kelowna The field of computerized machining is expanding rapidly, with more employers in Vernon acquiring state-of-the-art equipment needed for precision machining. Grades 11 and 12 students at Vernon secondary school will learn to program computers that run this equipment, as well as operating the equipment itself, to create metal, wood, plastic and composite products. Part of the CNC machining course (CNC stands for computer numeric controlled) will be taught through Okanagan University College, either at the school or at the campus in Kelowna. As well as their Dogwood diplomas, graduates will receive a certificate in CNC trades and technology from the university college. Riverside Forest Products is donating wood, and Aircraft Sales and Parts Ltd. will provide work experience for the students. 13. Metal trades machining/manufacturing $58,000 Greater Victoria, Gulf Islands A study by the B.C. division of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters shows 22 per cent of the manufacturing workforce in this province is over 55 and approaching retirement age. Through this project, at least two high schools in the four school districts in Greater Victoria and the Gulf Islands will offer manufacturing technician training at the post-secondary level. The training will give students dual credits towards secondary school graduation and a citation from Camosun College. The program includes three weeks employment preparation plus work experience. 14. Metal trades welding $70,000 Greater Victoria, Gulf Islands Welders tend to retire early because the work is physically demanding, and with an aging workforce, employers foresee skills shortages. In this project, Camosun College will develop a citation certificate using entry-level training standards, which will constitute partial or full credit towards a welding Level C certification. Camosun instructors will teach on campus or in high schools, and industry partners will provide work and on-the-job training. Dual credits will count towards high school graduation, as well as the Welding C level credential from Camosun. 15. Common core trades transition $99,000 Trail, Castlegar, Rossland A study updated this spring by the Greater Trail Skills Centre, shows the most pressing need for skilled workers in the building and automotive trades. In this project, a training module that includes the common subjects taught in all entry level trades training programs at Selkirk College will be developed to be taught in high schools throughout the Kootenay-Columbia school district. These include millwright, machinist, electrical, general mechanics and welding. Dual credit will be granted for this program, which will link to further training at the college in a shortened, six-month entry-level trades program. Another part of this project allows secondary students to obtain first-year carpentry apprenticeship credit and become indentured with the Independent Business and Contractors Association. 16. Framing technician specialty programs $47,500 Fraser Valley, Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton Thousands of people work in specialty trades within the home construction industry, which has seen unprecedented growth over the past three years in B.C. However, there is no effective, flexible homebuilder training and certification system that recognizes these specialties. This pilot project will look at
- 5 - framing as a training specialty area and will develop a training framework and curriculum. Up to 250 people already working in the B.C. home-building industry will be assessed and certified most in the Fraser Valley, where the shortage of framers is acute, and some in Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna and Penticton. The Canadian Home Builders Association will work with the University College of the Fraser Valley to develop a tool to assess a worker s experience, skills and training. This project will establish a process that can be used for other home-building specialty areas, enabling thousands of workers to progress in their careers through competency-based, modularized curriculum and assessments. 17. Marine repair technician/shipwright training $69,952 Sidney, Duncan, Nanaimo, Campbell River, Kelowna Boatbuilding and repairing is a rapidly growing industry, and demand for skilled workers has exceeded supply. Quadrant Marine Institute, based in Sidney, has offered technical training on southern Vancouver Island for marine repair technicians since 1999. This pilot project will develop and deliver a distance learning model for training. As part of this model, competency assessment standards will be developed; practical assessments will use such methods as employers observation, detailed production records or videotaped work procedures, submitted samples and marine surveyors reports. Quadrant Marine Institute and boatyards in Sidney, Duncan, Nanaimo, Campbell River and Kelowna, have pledged $21,840 of in-kind support. 18. Cook, chef and server training $40,000 Vancouver The demand for cooks and chefs is increasing throughout B.C., fuelled by double-income families with more money to eat out and less time to cook, and by a growing tourism industry. Food services workers need to be able to obtain meaningful credentials in a flexible manner that will work in today s industry. This pilot project, run by the Food and Service Resource Group, based in Vancouver, will define skill levels for three separate levels of certification for professional cooks. It will also develop practical assessment tools for cooks whether they are working inside or outside the official apprenticeship system, and will be based on proven competency, as opposed to time served. An online testing system for theory only will be developed to complement the practical assessments. Those cooks wishing to progress towards qualifying for their interprovincial certification, known as Red Seal, will be able to do so; those not wishing to move further along will be recognized for their accomplishments. Thirty chefs throughout Greater Vancouver will contribute expertise and cooking facilities. 19. Entry-level culinary arts program $54,500 Abbotsford The Salvation Army has run a pre-apprenticeship culinary arts program in Abbotsford since 1993. It will expand its program for local food service workers who want to advance in their careers but who cannot afford to spend four weeks in Vancouver, the closest place where further training is available. Under this pilot project, food service workers will keep their jobs and take classes in Abbotsford one day each week for 20 weeks. Students will be assessed to discover what skills they already have, and will need to train only for those areas where skills are lacking. Industry partners include Sysco Food Services of Vancouver, which is providing cash to buy texts and workbooks for students, as well as food and supplies for kitchen instruction; and Menno Hospital, Madison s Steak Grill, Aramarc Food Services and Milestone s Restaurants, which will open their kitchens to students being given practical assessments.
- 6-20. Competency-based assessment for automotive technicians $99,958 Surrey The automotive industry has been struggling to deal with a skills shortage caused by factors including the increasing number of vehicles on the road and the complexity of modern cars. Employees come to the automotive industry from various sources entry-level trades training, high school, apprenticeships in other trades, or other countries. To receive the training they need to become proficient, they must have their competency assessed, and a starting level of training established. In this pilot project, participants will have competency assessed at Metro College s Surrey campus, and will be assigned a skill level based on current industry standards. Candidates will be able to demonstrate their practical and theoretical knowledge gained through training and experience. The Automotive Retailers Association will review program design, theory exams and practical assessment processes developed for the project. 21. Trades mentors to deliver and assess apprentice training (automotive glass technician) $62,960 Burnaby Automotive glass technician apprentices must travel from all around the province to Vancouver Community College to learn a relatively narrow range of competencies needed in this trade. As a result, there is a shortage of qualified automotive glass technicians at a time when the number of vehicles on B.C. roads is increasing. In this project, expert technicians employed around the province by TCG International, based in Burnaby, will be trained to act as trades mentors and provide a systematic in-house program of instruction to apprentices. The project will produce a trades mentor curriculum, instructor training manual and instructional materials. These will be offered to postsecondary institutions or others who may wish to expand the mentor concept to other trades requiring a limited number of skills. Other project team members are the Automotive Retailers Association, Performance Solutions International, and Continuing Education Project People Inc. 22. New power-line training model $43,500 Surrey Electrical power-line workers who build, maintain and repair overhead and underground electrical power transmission and distribution systems are being recruited by employers in the U.S., contributing to a shortage of technicians here. One of the goals of this pilot project is to broaden training options for power-line technicians. It will update curriculum to reflect changes in required skills and develop modular curriculum for technical training. The project will also introduce a six-month workplace preapprenticeship program, during which time a trainee can see first-hand what the industry entails; at the same time, the employer can assess whether the trainee is suitable for the trade. The Line Contractors Association of B.C. will develop the new program, along with a coaching and mentoring course. 23. Individualized training piping trades $131,616 Burnaby Level 1 training for the piping trades plumbing, gas fitting, steam fitting and sprinkler fitting is currently delivered by instructors. Course dates are inflexible, and trainees must work at the class s pace, which can lead to failure for those who need more time on certain skills. The Pacific Vocational College has developed in-school technical training in a self-paced format using videotaped instruction, modular workbook curriculum, tutorials led by instructors, and competency-based assessment. This course, which provides the core training for all four piping trades, will be tested in this pilot project. Practical work will be supervised and graded by an instructor. Using this model, more students will complete their technical training successfully. Those who have failed a certain skill area will be able to
- 7 - receive credit for the skills and knowledge they have gained, and will repeat only the problem area, using a combination of video training and tutoring. 24. Competency-based curriculum for entry-level electrical students $134,115 Prince George Electrical employers in Prince George have expressed concern that students graduating from a year of entry-level electrical training are not prepared for conditions found on the job. In this pilot project, construction students at the College of New Caledonia will frame a 1,600-square-foot house, which electrical students will wire completely to gain practical skills, rather than working on practice boards. Graduates will be fully trained in residential wiring, and on-the-job conditions will be simulated as students work together in small groups to problem-solve and complete tasks. Industry partners include Edland Enterprises, Kodiak Electric and Guillevin International. 25. Horticulture trades training $142,500 Surrey, Vancouver Horticulture students who start in one type of training often need to further their careers by switching to a different educational path. For example, some municipal parks departments want their senior horticultural people to have diplomas, which include technical and business training. In the past, an apprentice wanting a diploma or degree would have to start in those programs at the beginning. This pilot project will develop provincial standards, and the University of B.C., Kwantlen University College and other private and public post-secondary institutions will work with the B.C. Landscape and Nursery Association to provide different pathways to achieve qualifications. This will give horticulture students the ability to move back and forth between different kinds of training, from entry level trades training, to apprenticeships, to certificate and diploma programs, to undergraduate degrees. Exams will be competency-based, and curriculum will be modularized and designed for online delivery. Feature articles on some of the pilot projects are online at http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/pab/articles/ -30- Media contact: Karen McDonald Communications Director 250 952-6508 250 888-9879 (cell) Visit the province's Web site at www.gov.bc.ca for online information and services.