NEW SURVEY CONFIRMS BC SKILLS SHORTAGE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2005 – Victoria BC – Small business owners and operators in British Columbia say a shortage of skilled labour is jeopardizing their ability to grow their businesses.
The BC Skills Force Initiative surveyed 1,557 small businesses in Southern British Columbia in July and August of this year. The report goes on to say that many small businesses believe there is a disconnect with an education system and suggests it does not provide the basic skills employers need. This is compounded by the fact that employers feel they don’t have input to improve school curriculum and training programs.
The BC Skills Force project was a joint initiative of the British Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the Community Futures Development Association of BC (CFDA). The project was funded by the Federal (HRSDC) and Provincial Government (MED) (MSBR).
“Next to the mountain pine beetle infestation, skills shortages are the single most important challenge facing the business community in our province” says Ken White the Chair of CFDA.
“This report substantiates our worst fears regarding the scale of the skills shortage”, says John Winter, President of the BC Chamber of Commerce. “However, this report now gives us the information we need to engage the business community in developing and implementing the strategies that will lead us to resolve the skills shortage facing our Province.”
A key recommendation made in the Skills Force report is a call for senior government to create regional small business advisory groups across the province. This will enable small business owners to coordinate strategies with educational institutions, small business service providers and government to address on-going and future skills issues.
The BC Skills Force Initiative conducted a telephone survey and also a series of focus groups across Southern British Columbia. The only regions excluded from the survey were Greater Vancouver and Greater Victoria. A second skills survey of Northern British Columbia is anticipated to take place in late 2005.
Small Business (50 employees or less) represents 98% of all businesses operating in the province.
The most recent census (2003) recorded 359,600 small businesses in British Columbia employing 971,900 people and generating nearly 30% of the province’s gross domestic product (GDP).
A full copy of the BC Skills Force Initiative report is available at www.bcskillsforce.com
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