VICTORIA BC – APRIL 24, 2018 – BC’s industrial, commercial, and institutional builders are stepping up to recognize the hardest working hockey players from BC’s Major Midget League (MML) and Female Midget AAA League (FMAAA) teams through a new program that will honour a player from each team every month of the season.

“Athletes at this level epitomize the ideal candidates for a career in our industry,” says Chris Atchison, BCCA President. “As a coach I know firsthand these young people are smart, disciplined, hard-working, safety conscious, team oriented, and fit. We’re proud to recognize their achievements and to introduce them to the enormous potential of our industry.”

Construction is booming in our province yet the industry predicts a shortage of more than 14,000 skilled tradespeople over the next eight (8) years. Only 1 in 70 BC high school graduates currently enter construction trades programs within one year of graduation. BC needs that to be 1 in 10 in order to fill the gap created by 57,000 retirements over the next decade.

Each month, one (1) player from each of the 16 teams in BC Hockey’s MML and FMAAA leagues will be selected by team management to be honoured as the BCCA Player of the Month. These players will be celebrated for demonstrating an outstanding work ethic and commitment to safety.

“Many of our alumni have gone on to excel in the construction industry,” notes Barry Petrachenko, CEO of BC Hockey. “The Hard Hats and Hockey Sticks program is a great way for our teams to connect with career opportunities in their community, and for BC Hockey to reinforce the importance of hard work and safety.”

The program announcement is part of the first annual Construction and Skilled Trades Month in BC, a successful platform for the industry to raise awareness of the important work done by the 235,000 hard-working men and women in the skilled trades.

With more than 23,500 construction companies in BC contributing 8.6% of provincial GDP, the industry’s skilled workforce reaches into every community and plays a crucial role in BC’s local economies.

“We’re proud to participate in Construction Month and to help to show how much our industry matters in the hockey community,” observes Chris Atchison. “I hope everyone will show appreciation for someone they know who works in construction, and consider the hard work and dedication that it takes to build structures such as the recreation centres and rinks which are so important in our communities.”

Hard Hats and Hockey Sticks will launch in September 2018 at the start of the 2018-19 hockey season.

—

MEDIA CONTACT

Virginia Keast, Zinc Communications
Virginia@zincstrategies.com

DOWNLOAD MEDIA RELEASE