PRINCE GEORGE – A new Immigrant Skilled Trades Employment Program (ISTEP) launched today promises to help landed immigrants build careers in British Columbia’s construction industry while helping employers to fill gaps in their workforce. ISTEP also has the potential to be a model for addressing skills shortages across the country.
ISTEP is a joint initiative of the British Columbia Construction Association and the Construction Sector Council (CSC) of Canada with funding support from the Government of Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program.
ISTEP will work with new immigrants who have an interest in the construction trades.
Job coaches located in four regions of the province will directly connect immigrants with employers. They will assess employment potential, coordinate work placements that match skills and experience, and provide ongoing support for both workers and employers. The Job Coaches will be a constant link, helping employers get the job-ready workers they need and advising immigrants on training and career paths.
“The project addresses two major issues for the construction industry,” says George Gritziotis, Executive Director of the CSC.
“It recognizes foreign-worker credentials and provides a long-term solution to the skilled trade shortage facing some employers,” continues Gritziotis, adding that “it also provides a working model for the construction industry across Canada and for other industries as well.”
Manley McLachlan, President of the B.C. Construction Association, sees this as a “win-win situation that will open doors for immigrants and help employers with labour shortages. We have links to hundreds of employers and thousands of jobs across the province,” he says.
“Contractors are recruiting from other countries to try to fill their needs,” he says, “while here in BC, immigrants – a significant provincial resource – face barriers to training and employment.”
Wayne Peppard, Executive Director of the BC Building Trades is pleased that the project ensures that immigrants will be paid according to their skills and at industry standards. “We’ve worked hard to set a decent wage and living standard for construction workers in this province,” he says. “This is about connecting immigrant workers with well paying jobs in an industry that is booming.”
Peppard added, “new immigrant workers often bring with them valuable skills that are lost to the workforce. ISTEP will put those skills to work and help immigrants build rewarding careers while helping to alleviate skills shortages.”
For further information:
Paul Mitchell, Project Manager
ISTEP
(250) 475-1077
Rosemary Sparks,
Director of Operations
Construction Sector Council
(613) 569-5552