BC First Nations Forestry Council Hosts Career Fairs to Increase Indigenous Forestry Opportunities

NORTH VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 11, 2019 /CNW/ - The BC First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC) is organizing three career fair events, the 2019 BC Forestry Career Fairs, scheduled to be held in Nanaimo, Kamloops and North Vancouver.

The 2019 BC Forestry Career Fairs are held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in:

• Nanaimo on Feb. 20^th, 2019 at the Coast Bastion Hotel
• Kamloops on Feb. 27^th, 2019 at the Coast Kamloops Hotel & Conference Centre
• North Vancouver on Mar. 12^th, 2019 at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier

While the career fairs are open to all audiences, the focus of the events is on Indigenous Forestry Careers. The goal of these career fairs is to increase Indigenous awareness of forest sector opportunities, as well as increase Indigenous participation as part of the FNFC's BC First Nations Forestry Workforce Strategy.

The BC First Nations Forestry Workforce Strategy has been developed by FNFC as a long-term initiative to increase the participation and success of Indigenous peoples in the BC forest sector training, careers, employment and self-employment – as forestry employees, managers and executive staff, forestry contractors and self-employed entrepreneurs.

The BC First Nations Forestry Workforce Strategy is an FNFC initiative that started in 2015 and involved extensive labour market research, First Nations and stakeholder engagement. The research unveiled a forecast of 11,419 job openings in the BC forest sector by 2028.

Currently, the Indigenous participation represents approximately 5% of the total workforce in BC's forest industry. The goal of the Workforce Strategy is to double Indigenous employment in the BC forest sector by 2027.

"This is an opportunity to develop sustainable and meaningful career, employment and business outcomes for Indigenous people in the BC forest sector through collaborative partnerships with forest companies, ASETS, ACCESS and BC A-TEAM. Currently the forest industry is in need of skilled labour.  Jobs in the forest sector present opportunities for Indigenous people to stay and work near their communities.  Training and education are key to increasing Indigenous access to high paying jobs in the forest sector," says Charlene Higgins, FNFC's Chief Executive Officer.

SOURCE BC First Nations Forestry Council

please contact Irma Arkus, Communications Manager | [email protected] at 778.318.4819 or [email protected]