B.C. invests $241 million in trades training to boost labour for major projects

ESQUIMALT — British Columbia’s government is investing $241 million over the next three years to boost trades training in a bid to support labour demands anticipated for upcoming major projects.

The province says the investment is a doubling of existing funding and will be spent on boosting apprentice programs.

The money will also ensure “faster access to training” in critical industrial trades that have waiting lists for labour demands, as well as advance certification for certain skilled trades such as crane operators.

B.C. now has four nation-building projects listed among those being considered by Ottawa for fast-tracking, after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the additions of Ksi Lisims LNG and the North Coast Transmission Line while he was in Terrace yesterday.

LNG Canada Phase 2 in Kitimat and the expansion of the Red Chris copper mine in northwestern B.C. had already been listed, and B.C. Premier David Eby says the projects will require trades workers to “show up” and “make it real.”

Eby says the funding is B.C.’s first major increase in skilled trades training in almost 20 years.

“By dramatically expanding skills training, we ensure projects can move without delay, and that British Columbians are first in line for these jobs,” Eby says.

The province says the goal of the extra funding is to connect British Columbians, especially young people looking for a long-term home in the province, with “well-paying, high-demand jobs” that are expected to emerge with a number of major projects on the horizon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2025.

The Canadian Press