Policy & Positions Manual
Policy Priority Area - Skills and Labour Shortage
Addressing British Columbia's Technological and Engineering Skills Shortage (2009)
With reference to the 2008 resolution on Skills and Labour Shortage of Technologists and Engineers, the following is an update and requires urgent attention, especially in the North of our Province for the benefit of all of BC.
There are more people than jobs in the north of our province. However, there are an increasing number of professional jobs that cannot be filled due to the lack of qualified personnel, a problem that will not go away unless tackled soon.
In May 2008, the Prince George Chamber of Commerce was asked to chair a consortium of more that 45 corporations whose only interest was, and is, to lobby for more technical and engineering education. The movement of the Applied Technical and Engineering Education Consortium (ATEEC) has been well recognized and can be considered to be an industrial and corporate grassroots movement clearly identifying the demand for more technology and engineering in the North of BC. The many ATEEC members and other corporations cannot find or retain the required technical personnel to bid on the many projects in the North. Surveys show that young people who study and graduate from a university or college, find employment afterwards with a very high probability within a 200 km radius of the education institute. Subsequently they are not available for the North as required.
Research undertaken by the ATEEC clearly shows that the number of students in the North with eligibility for an enrolment in science and engineering related faculties is very low, which causes an insufficient supply of technologists and engineers for the future. Students are often not aware of the fact that they cause a foreclosure of many exciting and interesting professions to choose from by not enrolling in mathematics and physics during the last year in school. We are aware of the fact that professionals, school councillors and parents advise their children with regards to options of courses and possible professions, as well as post secondary education opportunities.
However, the ATEEC survey has shown that sufficient information regarding technical education options is not available to the advisory bodies. It also includes information that there is a tremendous shortage of technologists and engineers both within Canada and worldwide, and that the professional outlook is a very positive one for many years to come.
In the end, this is not a northern problem but something that affects all of BC and its economy. If the North prospers, all of BC benefits and prospers.
The very detailed and recently commissioned ATEEC report on post secondary education in the North versus the Lower Mainland clearly highlights the lack of technical personnel in the North and the projects that cannot be started or finished in time. This analysis is independent of the current state of the economy, and it should be considered independent of it, because the situation will not be different in 2010 or 2011 when we hopefully experience a global recovery.
According to the ATEEC study, based on statistical data and input from the many northern corporations, the gap between supply and demand of technical personnel last year was 1,000.
If one would focus on the planned power production facilities alone, including independent power production, capital costs of approximately $15 Million would have to be considered, while pipeline projects of the magnitude of $10 Million are waiting to be implemented. These projects do by no means include required innovation or the many other projects and programs including bio-energy, transportation infrastructure, and the Prince Rupert Container Terminal expansion (phase 2).
Allowing for more technical and engineering education in the North would increase the availability of the technical personnel in the North, and with that benefit all of BC. Based on the ATEEC report the northern post secondary education institutes are currently in the planning phase.
THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS
That the Provincial Government:
- encourage professional bodies to work with education systems to lobby for increased participation and preparation of students in mathematics and science and to inform the students about the many available and future jobs in the field of Technology and Engineering;
- provide funding for technology and engineering programs and their implementation at Colleges and Universities in all regions of BC where the need and demand of the respective programs has been documented in the very comprehensive ATEEC report on post secondary education; and
- provide funds to cover capital and operating costs for the extension of facilities where those are absolutely necessary to provide and deliver the much needed programs.
