By Quinn Patrick
A cash incentive available to British Columbia construction companies for hiring new workers doubles if a worker “self-identifies” as anything other than an able-bodied, heterosexual, white male.
On Wednesday, the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) announced a new $10 million Apprenticeship Services Program that will give cash incentives to small and medium scale construction companies that hire and register first year apprentices for 39 Red Seal Trades.
The per-employee incentive is $5,000, but if an applicant self-identifies as a person of colour, woman, sexual minority, or person with a disability, it doubles to $10,000, according to the Western Investor.
According to the BCCA, over half of the apprentices already hired have self-identified as a member of one of the “equity deserving groups.”
Funding for the BCCA’s new program will come from the federal government’s Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, launched by the federal government in September 2022.