Seaspan Shipyards announced on June 8, 2021, a $1.35 million investment to increase training and apprenticeship opportunities for Indigenous students. The investment will cover students aged 19 to 30 who are interested in building careers in the trades, including in the shipbuilding and marine sector.
The company is making a three-year investment in the Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society (ACCESS), a non-profit organization that has been providing education and employment training for the urban Indigenous community since 1999. Since 2016, Seaspan has invested more than $4.3M in ACCESS as a part of Seaspan’s value proposition commitment under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.
This investment will help to support upgrading skills and technical training in welding and metal fabrication through the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). In 2022, the investment will also help establish a Trades Sampler Program to introduce Indigenous high school students in five Lower Mainland districts to career opportunities in the trades. It will also support an annual $25,000 Seaspan Student Scholarship fund.
“We know that ensuring a strong economic recovery means leaving no one behind. Seaspan Shipyards’ collaboration with ACCESS will unlock Canada’s potential, while creating more opportunities for Indigenous young people to engage in training and upskilling, and access these long-term careers,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
Check out the video below from Seaspan that features special messages from several stakeholders and ACCESS students.
