BCIT Trades and Technology Complex Get $2.5M Contribution

A $2.5 million contribution from forestry sector leaders is being handed over to the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s (BCIT) INSPIRE Campaign. The initiative will benefit students in more than 20 trades and technology programs that are critical for the future growth of BC’s globally renowned forestry sector.

Focused on raising funds for three pillars—Access and Inclusion, Teaching and Learning Innovation, and Campus Redevelopment—the INSPIRE Campaign is creating a new future at BCIT as a destination for applied learning.

“British Columbia is facing a demand for an estimated 85,000 new trades jobs over the next decade,” says Paul McCullough, Interim President, BCIT. “The generous donation from our forestry partners to the new Trades and Technology Complex (TTC) will help ensure future BCIT students have access to the best tools, instruction, and equipment needed to be job-ready.”

Forestry organizations including Canfor, West Fraser, Tolko, Hampton Lumber, Interfor, Mosaic Forest Management, Paper Excellence, and Binational Softwood Lumber Council are investing in trades programs through the new (TTC), which was also made possible with funding from the Province of BC and industry partners. The TTC 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 BC over the next 10 years.

“With ongoing innovation and growing demand for climate-friendly building solutions, Canfor is excited to support BCIT’s growth as an interconnection between the forestry and construction sectors,” notes Canfor CEO, Don Kayne. “With some of the most advanced labs and simulation facilities in the country, the TTC will be a training space that showcases high-value wood product applications, including our leadership in mass timber. Forestry has a proud history in BC, and we see exciting opportunities for the future as the world turns to lower carbon products to build greener homes, businesses, and communities.”

BC’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.