Government of British Columbia : Roundtable on access to skilled labour for the automotive sector

VANCOUVER - Representatives from British Columbia's automotive sector met with federal and provincial governments today.

They met to discuss skilled labour and human resource planning, as part of a series of roundtables to be held over the coming months with sectors relevant to British Columbia's economy.

The roundtables, co-hosted with industry associations and employers, aim to stimulate discussion and create awareness about how sectors can access skilled labour and satisfy human-resource requirements resulting from an aging population. These demographic realities - together with economic growth - place significant pressure on key sectors to find innovative solutions to address skills shortages.

Participants were invited to share information and discuss the unique challenges in the automotive sector, specifically related to recruiting and training a qualified workforce, the promotion of B.C. export-ready products internationally, and identifying opportunities for growth.

This is another way government is working to provide employers and industry the opportunity to ask and respond to questions and inform the provincial and federal governments of key labour issues.

Quotes:

Greg Kyllo, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour -

'The automotive sector plays a major role in keeping our economy diverse, strong and growing. I would like to thank our valued stakeholders for taking the time to participate in this discussion, and look forward to our continued work together in an effort to best meet employer labour market needs.'

Blair Qualey, president, New Car Dealers Association of B.C.-

'Members of the New Car Dealers Association (NCDA) currently employ over 36,000 British Columbians, and we are expecting that number to grow as the auto industry continues to expand and strengthen our economy. We anticipate up to 20,000 vacancies over the next decade for skilled workers to fill well-paying automotive sector jobs, everything from repair technicians and other trades to sales personnel, IT specialists and store managers. The NCDA is pleased to be working hand-in-hand with the Province to ensure these openings are filled and new family-supporting job opportunities are available for British Columbians.'

Ken McCormack, president & CEO, Automotive Retailers Association -

'Our industry needs skilled labour, so we know the importance of attracting new talent to the automotive sector. This is not limited to the technical trades. There are career opportunities in everything from management to administration, customer service to sales, and more. There are many opportunities for career-minded and entrepreneurial-spirited individuals in this sector.'

Quick Facts:

• B.C. has reached a tipping point where more B.C. residents are leaving the workforce than are entering it.
• B.C.'s Skills for Jobs Blueprint, is helping British Columbians get the skills they need to be first in line for these job openings, by re-engineering education and training programs toward a data-driven system that focuses investment on jobs that are in demand.
• B.C.'s new motor vehicle sales reached 195,200 units in the first 11 months of 2015.
• Auto sales are 7.5% higher compared to one year ago, and the growth in B.C.'s new motor vehicle sales was stronger than the rest of Canada.

Learn More:

B.C.'s Skills for Jobs Blueprint: www.workbc.ca/

BC Jobs Plan: www.engage.gov.bc.ca/bcjobsplan/