B.C.'s capacity for skilled trades training has increased thanks to a new campus that opened in Burnaby this morning.
The Sprott Shaw School of Trades opened their new, state-of-the-art facility at 3216 Beta Avenue in Burnaby.
In 2015, the new campus will graduate about 200 construction electrician apprentices and 50 students who have completed their electrician training and are ready to become Red Seal journeymen in 2015, with the intention to increase its annual graduates in the coming years.
The school aims to help fill the growing need for electricians in B.C.
The new campus hosts 10,000 square feet of classroom space, a 1,800 square-foot garage-style shop and a massive 3,000 square-foot lab. The facility currently offers a five-month electrical foundations course, full construction electrician training, and an IP Refresher Program for those with expired qualifications, or qualifications from other jurisdictions. Sprott Shaw is also planning to offer training for pipefitters, steamfitters and carpenters at this location in the near future.
“We’re filling a gap that exists in B.C.,” says Sprott Shaw president Patrick Dang, “There’s a very real need for skilled tradespeople that we’re adapting to, and will continue to adapt to. We plan to make skilled trades programs accessible to many more students in the years to come.”
According to the British Columbia 2022 Labour Market Outlook, there will be more than one million job openings in B.C. by 2022, with approximately 44 per cent of these jobs expected to be in the skilled trades and technical occupations.
Sprott Shaw College’s School of Trades first opened its doors in Coquitlam in 2008.
In April 2015, the school relocated to a new, expanded campus in Burnaby.