Prince George, BC – The 2015 Trades Expo is being billed as another step towards bridging the gap between industry needs and a shortage of skilled labour…

The three-day event gets underway at the Civic Centre Plaza later this morning and will feature industry and training exhibits, panel discussions, and at least nine employers looking to conduct ‘on-the-spot’ interviews.

Hosted by the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA), Coordinator Karla Wright says, “There’s lots of opportunity on the horizon – lots of proposed projects, lots of economic growth and human resource opportunities for job seekers – but sometimes we don’t always know who to connect with and proposed timelines.”

Wright is hopeful the trades expo make those connections – giving those considering careers or a career change the opportunity to hear first-hand about industry needs.  “And, then, once they’ve had a chance to do a bit of career exploration and look at training opportunities, it becomes imperative to find funding sources.”  A finance and education panel on the expo’s final day, Wednesday, will go over all the avenues available to pursue a trades career.

“Sometimes when you discover that finances are a limitation, you stop pursuing things,” says Wright, “And we don’t want them to think of any one source as an end-all, be-all.  There are multiple avenues to explore within schools, themselves, for loans, scholarships, and bursaries; grants through ITA (the Industry Training Authority); funding sources for skills development with WorkBC; and opportunites through ARDAs (Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agencies).”

The trades expo is open to all job seekers and PGNAETA will have a mobile lab staffed with computers and job coaches on-site at the Plaza to assist with accessing and printing resumes.

Wright expects as many as 1200 people could stop by the Civic Centre over the course of the three days.  She’s hoping the expo will become an annual event.