Northern Lights College receives more than $400K for employer partnership training

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — A college in Dawson Creek has received more than $400k for an employment training project. 

According to a press release by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Northern Lights College (NLC) has received  $464,000 as it prepares 10 to 12 participants receiving income assistance for careers in facility maintenance.

It is one of the 15 Community and Employer Partnership (CEP) projects around the province, which aim to provide employment and skills training to help people prepare for sustainable careers while also meeting labour market needs. 

The Northern Lights College project is being delivered in Dawson Creek. 

The ministry told Energeticcity.ca the project in NLC began in February 2026 and is currently underway. 

Sheila Malcolmson, B.C. minister of social development and poverty reduction, said: “We want people to have the support they need to find in-demand jobs and build stronger futures for themselves and their families. 

“So we are funding more training to help people gain the practical skills and work experience they need to move toward good-paying jobs, while supporting local communities.”

At Northern Lights College, participants will complete three weeks of training on “essential” skills, four weeks on safety, equipment operation and HAZMAT (hazardous materials), and 16 weeks on facility maintenance, followed by work experience with local employers. 

The release said there will be follow-up support to help participants transition into employment, maintaining commercial and institutional facilities. 

The ministry added it expects CEP projects to help about 329 participants including youths, Indigenous people, immigrants, displaced forestry workers, survivors of violence and people on income assistance. 

B.C. partnered with the Government of Canada to provide more than $6 million for projects around the province. 

The CEP funding is paid out over the life of the project instead of as a single upfront payment, the ministry said. 

Energeticcity.ca has reached out to Northern Lights College for a comment but did not hear back in time for publication. This story will be updated if more information becomes available.