Provincial grants to increase opportunities for Indigenous people in the forestry sector

Two new provincial grants will provide Indigenous people in B.C. with more opportunities to learn, train and develop in-demand skills needed for the forestry sector.

The B.C. Government is giving funding to the First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC) to fund the Indigenous Forestry Scholarship Program (IFSP) and an online forestry careers-matching tool to help increase the number of Indigenous students and community members find jobs, education and training opportunities within the sector.

The province is funding $437,000 to support the development of the new online forestry careers matching tool, which will be known as Forestry Connect. It’s expected that the tool will be launched in March 2023, with Shuswap Nation Tribal Council as the first host community.

“Our government is working in partnership with the First Nations Forestry Council to increase opportunities for Indigenous people in the forestry sector and ensure communities benefit from sustainable, innovative jobs for generations to come,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests.

“The Indigenous Forestry Scholarship Program and Forestry Connect will support students and community members in getting the education, experience and opportunities they need to pursue rewarding careers in forestry.”

The IFSP will provide $612,000 in tuition and living scholarships for 25 full-time students in designated post-secondary institutions, as well as paid summer work-term experience. The students will be eligible if they are enrolled in studies that include forestry technicians, natural resources, environmental technology, business management, business administration, geographic information systems, construction millwrights and industrial mechanics, logging machine operators, skidder operator, and heavy-duty mechanics.

—