BC universities warn of looming skills deficit

A severe skills shortage will hit BC in 2016 and continue to grow unless action is taken now to improve access to all types of post-secondary education, says a report by the Research Universities’ Council of BC (RUCBC). The BC Labour Market Profile, released by the six major research universities that make up the RUCBC, reveals that in 2016 the number of jobs requiring university, college or trades credentials will exceed the supply of BC graduates.

That skills deficit will continue to grow through to 2020, when about 18,800 jobs will go unfilled due to a lack of the necessary education and training. Of these, 8,400 will require a university degree, 8,100 a college credential, and 2,300 trades training.

The RUCBC report was based on the provincial government’s BC Labour Market Outlook and on BC Stats and Statistics Canada data.

“To secure tomorrow’s jobs and power a strong economy driven by new ideas and innovation, BC needs to expand the capacity of its nationally recognized post-secondary system and make it possible for every qualified British Columbian to build a bright future,” says University of Victoria President David Turpin.

“That’s why BC’s universities have put forward an Opportunity Agenda for BC that calls for an investment in BC’s future now, so that British Columbians can take full advantage of the opportunities ahead.”

Royal Roads University President Allan Cahoon says that in today’s knowledge-driven economy, BC’s most valuable resources are the skills and resources of people.

The Opportunity Agenda proposes three practical steps to fill the growing skills gap:
•    A space for every qualified student, with 11,000 new student spaces in university, college and trades training over the next four years;
•    A guarantee for students in need, with resources invested in grants, scholarships and improvements to student loans; and
•    A commitment to innovation and jobs by establishing an Innovate BC initiative, bringing government, business, and post-secondary institutions together to build on BC’s research and innovation potential, advance new opportunities, and help drive economic growth.

“Students have long advocated strengthening the student support system in BC so that it’s possible for potential students to attend university without being saddled with unmanageable debt when they come out the other side,” says Lucia Heffelfinger Orser, director of external relations at the UVic Students’ Society. “If we are going to address the skills shortage in this province and make education more accessible, government needs to step up and adopt the strong plan that the RUCBC has put forward in the Opportunity Agenda.”

The looming skills gap concerns the business sector.

A highly qualified workforce is key to economic success, says Bruce Carter, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.
“The supply of qualified labour is already limited in some areas and that will deteriorate further due to demographic shifts and job growth,” Carter says.

The Opportunity Agenda goes a long way to addressing the looming qualified labour shortages, he says.

A full summary of the BC Labour Market Profile and the Opportunity Agenda: www.rucbc.ca

For a previous Ring story on the Oportunity Agenda: http://bit.ly/WhLQJV