Delivering a
strong workforce
By Deb Draper
The continued success of the Construct Your Future program
I
n response to member feedback regarding the skilled labour shortage on Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) launched a free training program geared toward preparing young adults ages 17 to 29 for a career in the construction industry. Two years later, under the direction of program coordinator, Sharlot Beatty, the program
52 Vancouver Island Construction Association
was redesigned and renamed Construct Your Future (CYF) with the continued mandate to connect willing workers with employers in the construction industry. “Most of our people who finish the program will start as material handlers and labourers with the explicit expectation that they are working toward an apprenticeship after three to six months,”
