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Forest sector giants contribute $2.5M towards the new BCIT complex

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) received $2.5 million from forestry sector giants for its new Trades and Technology Complex (TTC). Forestry organizations including Paper Excellence, Canfor, West Fraser, Tolko, Hampton Lumber, Mosaic Forest Management and Binational Softwood Lumber Council came together to invest in trades programs through this contribution.

A part of BCIT’s INSPIRE campaign, the complex will benefit students in more than 20 trades and technology programs that are critical for the future growth of BC’s forestry sector, according to the institution.

The TTC, made possible with funding from the province of B.C. and industry partners, will include spaces that inspire integrated learning and facilitate inter-trade collaboration. It will also add training capacity for hundreds of new full and part-time student spots annually, helping to meet the growing demand for skilled trades professionals in B.C. over the next 10 years.

B.C.’s forestry industry employs thousands of skilled workers – from engineers and millwrights to forest technicians and data scientists. The transformed learning environment and renewal of programs will bring together students from both trades and technologies as well as bachelor’s and master’s degree programs into the same building promoting practical knowledge transfer.

The Trades and Technology Complex will be a major economic stimulus, as per a BCIT press statement. The various projects will employ a wide range of construction trades and specialists in the design, project management, and technology sectors. The project’s capital value of $220 million is estimated to generate between 950 and 1,175 direct jobs with an equivalent number of indirect jobs.