Premier David Eby has announced up to 5,000 new trades training seats for 2026 at public post-secondary institutions and non-profit union trainers.
The province says it’s part of a $241-million investment – which was first announced in Budget 2026 in February – in skilled trades that will help thousands of people benefit from training and expand access to good-paying jobs while ensuring employers have workers to deliver major projects.
Eby, who made the announcement in Delta on Wednesday (May 13), said his government is expanding training capacity “where it’s needed most and helping people get into rewarding trades careers faster, while also building up B.C.’s economy.”
The $241 million will help double the annual funding to SkilledTradesBC from $107 million to $214 million by 2028-29.
The funding is also expected to reduce wait lists for high-demand trades by expanding program capacity; increase per-seat funding across apprenticeship programs that lead to SkilledTradesBC credentials, helping trainers manage rising costs for equipment, curriculum and instruction; and expand skilled trades certification, starting with tower and mobile crane operators.
It will also establish the Look West: Workforce Readiness Initiative, which is a strategy designed to improve access to training in rural and remote communities, which responds directly to employer needs.
Look West is the B.C. government’s 10-year major jobs plan, which aims to boost private sector investment for major projects in the province over the next decade by $200 billion.
– With files from Mark Page