Fort St. John, BC – BC Hydro is once again energizing trades training in northeastern BC…

Following in the wake of the announcement of $1-million dollars in funding for the Northern Lights College Foundation to provide bursaries to students pursuing trades and skills training in September, the utility will provide $100-thousand dollars in funding over the next two years to the North East Native Advancing Society to support trades training.

 "There is a high demand for a skilled workforce today and in the future in the Peace Region," says BC Hydro’s Executive Vice-President of the Site C Energy Project, Susan Yurkovich.  "By increasing access to trades training for Aboriginal people today, our intent is to benefit Aboriginal students and provide a foundation for the future."

The North East Native Advancing Society plans to use the money on a program designed to emphasize workplace essential literacy and numeracy skill-building, pre-college preparation, and trade careers exploration (NEATT program).  The goal is to prepare Aboriginal students to transition into existing trades foundation courses and apprenticeship programs offered at Northern Lights College and other training facilities in BC.

Society Executive Director, Audrey Sam, says the funding will help to build on the success of the NEATT program and look at new ways to encourage Aboriginal people to access the opportunities that trades training provides.

Hydro says the trades funding is in recognition of the importance of skilled workers in BC, particularly in the northeast.  Yurkovich points out the proposed Site C project, if approved, would require more than 7,000 direct jobs over the estimated seven-year construction period.