Terrace, BC – More than 80 participants took part in a Regional Workforce Table forum held by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism, and Innovation in Terrace on Monday…

The goal of the forum was to provide a labour market ‘snapshot’ of the opportunities and challenges facing BC’s northwest and discuss how a regional workforce table could better align skill training programs to meet the labour needs of the area.

The forum participants represented community organizations, First Nations, employers, labour organizations, and post-secondary institutions from throughout the region.  The morning session provided an overview of the northwest labour market and the training programs and services available in the region.  The afternoon was devoted to smaller roundtable discussions on what a Regional Workforce Table should look like and work to accomplish – forming the Table is the next step.

Moira Stilwell, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Pat Bell, said, the open house successfully engaged community and labour market leaders in dialogue on how best to align training programs with labour demands.  "In doing so, we also made important steps towards creating a Regional Workforce Table for northwest BC."

The next regional forum is scheduled for February 10th in Dawson Creek.