SkillsPlus
What would you like to achieve through Essential Skills training?
Here are some of the positive outcomes associated with improved workplace skills:
- Improved productivity
- Reduced errors
- Improved customer service
- Empowered employees
- Improved communication and/or teamwork
- Improved safety
- Reduced absenteeism and/or turnover
- Improved succession planning
- Improved ability to implement change in the workplace
Small businesses currently make up about 98 percent of the provincial economy, and their success is vital to British Columbia’s ability to remain globally competitive. Through SkillsPlus, small and mid-sized businesses can enhance the foundation skills of current employees, improving productivity and reducing costs. The program has been designed to assist employers, in providing foundation skills development for their employees by integrating essential skills into workplace training. These skills – reading text, document use, numeracy, writing, oral communication, working with others, continuous learning, thinking skills and computer use – can help employees deal with more complex tasks and make them more effective in the workplace. SkillsPlus supports the development and delivery of customized, effective curriculum and assessment tools to meet the human resources training needs of British Columbia’s small and mid-sized businesses.
Current SkillsPlus Projects
The Province is investing $2 million in SkillsPlus Phase 2 pilot projects to develop and provide workplace essential skills curriculum, assessment tools and training in a variety of small businesses in 15 B.C. communities.
SkillsPlus pilot projects will be offered in the following community regions: Campbell River, Nanaimo, Victoria, North Vancouver, Mt. Currie, Vancouver, Delta, Surrey, Kootenays and Dawson Creek, and will provide a range of skills training to more than 500 British Columbians employed in small businesses in various occupational sectors. Through the program, additional training in essential skills such as computer use, reading and numeracy will be built into regular workplace-based training, enabling participants and their employers to benefit from a broader range of increased skills.
SkillsPlus has also completed a series of essential skills studies for various sectors: Construction, forestry, health care, mining, petroleum, retail/wholesale/grocery, tourism hospitality, small business and aboriginal workers. While the program is not restricted only to these sectors, the reports provide a useful overview of skill levels and increasing skills challenges in a number of industries.
To view the summaries of the SkillsPlus Phase I reports, please see the links below:
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