Coun. Albert Koehler is hoping that when city representatives head down to the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in September, they'll be going to support one of his ideas.
During tonight's meeting, city council will vote on a recommendation from the intergovernmental resolutions committee to advance a request supporting new technology and engineering programs in post-secondary schools.
The proposed resolution, which would be debated at the UBCM annual meeting in Vancouver, would see the organization lobby the provincial government to "develop a strategy for technical and engineering education, allowing for a seamless transfer from colleges to universities" as well as provide funding to establish programs.
Koehler first brought the idea forward more than a year ago, when he received council's backing in having the city officially endorse establishing programs at CNC and UNBC.
"We are sitting in the heartland of the industry in B.C. with sawmills, pulpmills, mines and everything around us and we don't have a technology program or an [civil or mechanical] engineering program," said Koehler. "And all our companies who are involved, in one way or another in this, cannot find people."
An engineer by trade, Koehler said he has been advocating for more local training for the past 15 years.
"If we want to diversify, if we want to have our communities be more resilient - especially smaller communities - we have to get people educated who, based on their training, can develop, create and innovate," he said.
Getting the province to pony up funds for specialized skills training is at the heart of the resolution and Koehler said it requires the same approach as what was taken to establish the Northern Medical Program to address the physician shortage.
As president of the Northern Technology and Engineering Society of B.C., Koehler said nearly all the group's members are looking for workers.
"If today we would have 600 technologists and engineers of the right type available in the north, they all would be gobbled up. They all would have a job," he said. "That's where we are with the gap between supply and demand."
The society recently used a $35,000 grant to hire a contractor to visit high schools in the north and northwest to give presentations and offer tools and information to teachers, counsellors, parents and students about careers in technology and engineering.
Koehler said the issue is also a high priority for the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition, upon whose executive committee he sits.
"How can we get people out there and contribute to the diversification of our especially small communities.? We're good at extracting and getting something out of the ground but we're not good at adding value to it. So we've got to change that."
