Boundary students with disabilities get skills for jobs
By Contributor
The provincial government is providing $50,000 to Selkirk College to develop training and resources aligned with in-demand occupations in a range of sectors for students with disabilities.
Selkirk College’s funding is part of nearly $1.3 million being delivered to 20 public post-secondary institutions throughout the province as part of the first anniversary of B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint.
“People with disabilities in the Boundary region now have greater opportunities to gain post-secondary job training,” Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson said. “This funding for Selkirk College helps to remove barriers and enables more students from our region to receive training for in-demand jobs.”
The grants also support Accessibility 2024, a 10-year action plan announced in June 2014 that includes goals, actions and long-term measures to make B.C. the most progressive place in Canada for people with disabilities.
The provincial government launched B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint in April 2014 to align funding and programs with in-demand occupations. The Blueprint includes goals to provide better access to technical and trades-related training for learners with disabilities.
B.C. anticipates more than one million job openings by 2022; more than 78 per cent of these positions will require some form of post-secondary education and 44 per cent will need skilled trades and technical workers.
