PROGRAM NOW CLOSED
BCCA’s Apprenticeship Services has surpassed its goal
$16.26M in financial incentives has been distributed to small and medium construction employers allowing them to hire and register first-year apprentices.
Read the full media release here.
This program is now closed. Thank you to the Government of Canada’s Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy’s Apprenticeship Service for entrusting us with this important funding.
Apprenticeship Services Survey Infographic
In Spring 2024, the BC Construction Association conducted a survey of the 2,148 first-year apprentices hired under the Apprenticeship Services program, which closed on March 31st 2024, having injected $16.26M into BC’s economy. Here’s what they had to say about their experience:
Thanks to BCCA’s Apprenticeship Services program, employers across BC have received cash payments for hiring and registering first-year apprentices in one of 37 Red Seal Trades.
In addition to these financial incentives, BCCA’s Builders Life campaign attracted applications from over 10,000 job seekers across BC, and registered 2075 apprentices in 37 Red Seal trades, providing a much needed skilled workforce to 1020 qualified employers.
Employers* received payments for:
- Hiring a new employee & registering them as a first-year apprentice
- Registering an existing employee as a first-year apprentice
- Switching an existing apprentice or journeyperson into a different Red Seal trade as a first-year apprentice
*Only employers with fewer than 500 employees were eligible
Payments:
- $5,000 for hiring and/or registering a first-year apprentice
- An additional $5,000 for contributing to workforce diversity by hiring or registering any first-year apprentice who self-reports as:
- A woman
- A new Canadian
- LGBTQ2+
- Indigenous
- A person with a disability
- A visible minority
Thanks to BCCA’s Apprenticeship Services program, employers received payments for up to 2 employees per fiscal year during the 2 years of the campaign, for a maximum of up to $40,000. The first fiscal year ran from August 2022 to March 31, 2023. The second fiscal year officially closed March 31, 2024.
Important: In order to be eligible for incentives, employers had to apply for and sign the sub-agreement prior to registering their apprentices.
Employers had full discretion in how they spent the funds. (Some suggestions include: Hiring bonus, gear & work apparel, safety equipment, offset the cost of sick leave, training and mentoring, professional development, raises for field or office staff).
Important: In order to be eligible for incentives, employers had to apply for and sign the sub-agreement prior to registering their apprentices.
The Application Period is now Closed