Victoria is committing nearly $600,000 towards
a partnership with key technology industry
partners to study the labour market needs in the
tech sector.
Led by the BC Technology Association (BCTA)
and the Vancouver Economic Commission
(VEC), this technology Sector Labour Market
Partnership project, worth nearly $600,000 to
date, will help the government and project
partners gain a better understanding of the
current and future labour needs in this diverse
and fast growing sector. As part of this project,
the partners are also developing a
comprehensive labour market strategy which
will result in recommendations on deepening the
talent pool for in-demand jobs in B.C.
Since last October, BCTA and VEC, with
support from the government through the Sector
Labour Market Partnership Program, have been
engaging with technology employers,
educational stakeholders and the broader technology community to gain a better understanding of the labour needs in
this sector. To help the industry take this important project further, the Province has recently committed additional
support so they can complete a detailed labour market analysis and develop a strategy with key actions to address the
sector’s labour market priorities.
After the announcement, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Shirley
Bond, and Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’
Services Amrik Virk, as well as project partners, met with
programming students at the Lighthouse Labs Victoria campus,
located in the Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and
Entrepreneurship Council (VIATEC) offices within the Fort
Tectoria building in Victoria.
The project announced today is part of the government’s
commitment to deepen B.C.’s technology talent pool through a
variety of actions, including improving access to timely and
relevant labour market information, as outlined in the
#BCTECH Strategy. The 10-year strategy includes a $100-
million BC Tech Fund to improve access to capital, as well as
initiatives to increase talent development and market growth for
tech companies to drive innovation and productivity throughout
the province.
In 2014, the B.C. government launched the Skills for Jobs Blueprint to re-engineer its education and training programs
so British Columbians can get the skills they need to be first in line for jobs in the province.
The Sector Labour Market Partnerships Program is funded through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market
Development Agreement. The program helps employers understand and respond to changing labour market demands,
and ensures that training and education programs in B.C. are aligned with industry’s labour-market needs and
priorities.
Province kicks in
for tech partnership
British Columbia is a tech-driven economy. The
various technology subsectors are: information and
communications technology, cleantech,
engineering, life sciences, and digital media.
The technology sector directly employs more than
86,000 people, and wages for those jobs are 60%
higher than B.C.’s industrial average.
In 2013, the technology sector added $13.9 billion
to B.C.’s GDP.
B.C.’s 9,000 technology companies combined
generated $23.3 billion in revenue in 2013.