Essential Skills Program at local TRU Campus

Courtesy of the Government of British Columbia:

Government is providing more than $1 million to Thompson Rivers University-Williams Lake (TRU-WL) for a new Cariboo Chilcotin Skills Training Project that will deliver essential skills training to 300 people in the region to help prepare them for employment.

Funded through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement (LMA), the project will provide First Nations communities and local employers with group literacy and essential-skills level assessments, as well as individual literacy and essential-skills assessments. These assessments will help inform the type of training individuals require, and from there personal training plans will be developed to address the skills gaps that have been identified at both the group and individual levels.

TRU-WL will deliver training that is customized to the needs of the individual. As a result, a broad range of training will be available through this project, including a variety of options to address:

· Literacy – including reading, numeracy, writing and using documents and forms.
· Oral communication.
· Interpersonal skills.
· Thinking skills, including problem-solving.
· Computer skills.

TRU-WL will begin accepting participants for the Cariboo Chilcotin Skills Training Project beginning April 2013. Training will be delivered on location in First Nations communities, at employer worksites, or on campus at TRU-WL depending on the needs of the individual participants. The LMA will cover the costs of tuition and supplies for eligible participants, including employed, low-skilled individuals, or those who are unemployed and not eligible for employment insurance. For those who qualify, transportation supports may also be available.

Now the fourth-largest university in the province, TRU was created in 2005 when the University College of the Cariboo joined with the British Columbia Open University. In addition to its main campus in Kamloops, students can take programs at its campus in Williams Lake, and through regional centres throughout the Interior of B.C. through TRU-Open Learning.

A variety of specialized Aboriginal educational programs and learning centres are offered, in addition to TRU’s unique distance-learning opportunities, that enable First Nations students to remain close to their home communities. At TRU-WL, the Open Learning Centre is housed in the Gathering Place and provides First Nations communities in the surrounding area with access to hundreds of Open Learning courses and programs.

The Carrier, Chilcotin and Shuswap Nations traditionally used the pit house as their winter home. This Gathering Place is modelled after similar pit houses and is a space where individuals can meet with Elders, study, or gather for ceremonial or social activities. The Gathering Place also provides other services, including assistance with the transition to university, one-to-one tutoring, academic support and First Nations counselling.

As a direct result of federal LMA funding, thousands of British Columbians are receiving training that will advance their careers, assist in securing new employment and ultimately improve the social and economic outcomes of individuals in B.C. and Canada. In addition to programs and services offered through the LMA, government is actively creating awareness and encouraging people to consider careers in the trades and technical occupations through a further investment of $75 million for new capital and equipment under the Skills and Training Plan. This funding complements $500 million in annual investments in employment and skills training programs under the BC Jobs Plan.

Local MLA Donna Barnett says:

“The Cariboo Chilcotin Skills Training Project will help people in Williams Lake and surrounding communities get the essential skills they need in order to be successful in the workplace. TRU identified a need for additional supports for individuals, First Nations communities and employers in the region, and this project will help ensure that local businesses and industries have local workers with the right skills to do their jobs.”