Educational Opportunities

Providing resources and support for literacy, skills upgrades, and creating opportunities for new employment can assist workers in transition. The following links provide information for British Columbians about effective education and retraining opportunities.

Please note that the Province of British Columbia is not responsible for the material and/or content presented on any non-provincial government site listed below.

Resources

British Columbia Institute of Technology—Essentials of Fundraising
Offers a course designed to provide an overview of fundraising topics. Students develop an understanding of annual fund and capital campaign methodologies, working with volunteer boards, and developing career planning strategies.
http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/...
Offers another course designed as a practical introduction to the elements of proposal and grant writing. Gain skills in hands-on practice developing the case statement and grant writing.
http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/...

Columbia Basin Trust Community Development Program
The Community Development Program responds to project proposals or ideas from Basin communities, groups and organizations that build capacity within the Basin in ways that are consistent with the Columbia Basin Trust’s mandate of supporting the efforts of the people of the Basin to create a legacy of social, economic and environmental well-being and to achieve greater self sufficiency for present and future generations.
http://www.cbt.org

CommunityFutures.com
Lists over 200 community programs that are searchable by category, sector, and organization. These pages provide information on sources of funding and support primarily for social, economic, and environmental community development initiatives in rural areas, however the programs are not necessarily exclusive to rural.
http://www.communityfutures.com/cms/Funding_Sources.2.0.html

Community Development Trust
Includes three programs: the Transitional Assistance Program supports older workers as they move towards retirement; the Tuition Assistance Program helps forestry workers upgrade skills; the Job Opportunities Program creates short-term job opportunities for forestry, fishing, agriculture, mining or manufacturing resource workers.
http://www.cd.gov.bc.ca/cdt

Community Economic Development Professionals Certificate Program,
Simon Fraser University
Now available in Dawson Creek, Houston, Mission, Vanderhoof and Williams Lake. Reduced tuition fees, lower carbon footprint and no travel costs. The program can be completed in nine months. For more information contact
Nicole Chaland at certced@sfu.ca.
http://www.sfu.ca/cscd/ced/home.htm

Community Transition Toolkit
Is a suite of tools for assisting community transition and preparedness planning.
http://www.unbc.ca/cdi/toolkit.html

Island Coastal Economic Trust
The Island Coastal Economic Trust provides funding to create new and sustainable regional economic growth through strategic investments in targeted “sectors” with the north Island, coastal and Sunshine Coast regional economy.
http://www.islandcoastaltrust.ca/index.php

LEAP BC
Literacy, Education, Activity and Play (LEAP) is a new province-wide initiative focused on providing resources and ongoing support to increase literacy, healthy eating, and physical activity in settings where children in their early years (birth to five) live, learn and play.
http://www.2010legaciesnow.com/leap_bc/

Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund
The Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund Society is a grant-making agency that assists the people of North West British Columbia, and in particular the Nechako region and Kitamaat Village, by sponsoring sustainable economic and social projects in the area most affected by the Kemano project and the creation of the Nechako Reservoir. The NKDF will invest in community economic development projects and/or programs that are supported by the community, as long as they do not subsidize private business.
http://www.nkdf.org/

Northern Development Initiative Trust - Community Foundation Funding Program
The Northern Development Initiative Trust's Community Foundation Funding Program assists all municipalities and regional district electoral areas in the Northern Development Initiative Trust region of central and northern British Columbia in building an endowment fund that supports local social, cultural and environmental needs via local decision-making.
http://northerndevelopment.bc.ca/community-funding...

Northern Development Initiative Trust - Economic Development Capacity Building
The Northern Development Initiative Trust's Economic Development Capacity Building Program funding provides $30,000 annually from the Cross Regional Account to ensure stable economic development funding for municipalities and regional districts. An additional $5,000 is available to each eligible local government, specifically for a collaborative project with another local government, regional economic development alliance, or another group, with outcomes that deliver measureable economic benefits to the area.
http://northerndevelopment.bc.ca/community-funding...

Northern Development Initiative Trust - Economic Diversification Infrastructure Program
The Northern Development Initiative Trust's Economic Diversification Infrastructure program provides municipalities, regional districts, First Nations and non-profit groups funding via Northern Development’s six (6) principal Trust Accounts: the Regional Development Accounts (Cariboo-Chilcotin/Lillooet, Northeast, Northwest, and Prince George), the Pine Beetle Recovery Account, and the Cross Regional Account. As Northern Development’s primary community economic development funding program, projects that serve to diversify local and regional economies are eligible for infrastructure and capital investment funding.
http://northerndevelopment.bc.ca/community-funding...

Northern Development Initiative Trust - Feasibility Studies or Marketing Program
The Northern Development Initiative Trust's Feasibility Studies or Marketing Program provides municipalities, regional districts, First Nations and non-profit groups such as industry associations with a grant up to a $20,000 for: a feasibility study that will demonstrate a strong business case for an infrastructure project that is aligned with Northern Development’s Economic Diversification Infrastructure funding program that will diversify and provide direct measurable economic benefits to the local or regional economy, or; development and implementation of a marketing program that will increase revenues within the region.
http://northerndevelopment.bc.ca/community-funding...

Northern Development Initiative Trust - Industry Attraction Rebate Program
The Northern Development Initiative Trust's Industry Attraction Rebate Program provides up to $20,000 in matched funding from the Cross Regional Account directly to communities in central and northern British Columbia to hire appropriate resources to create jobs through industry attraction. As an output from this work, communities will: understand the needs of the target industry; how they can meet those needs; and implement focused marketing and discussions with senior executives at target companies.
http://northerndevelopment.bc.ca/community-funding/industry-attraction

Social Enterprise Podcast Series
Provides practical business information from leading experts via podcast to help with planning and running a successful business.
http://www.enterprisingnonprofits.ca/podcasts

Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust
A $50-million Southern Interior Development Initiative will give communities the funding and ability to create new opportunities for sustainable economic growth and more jobs. The mission of the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust is to support regionally strategic investments in economic development projects that will have long-lasting and measurable regional benefits for the Southern Interior.
http://www.sidit-bc.ca/

Technical Assistance Program for Aboriginal Organizations
A program of the Centre for Not-for-Profit Sustainability, is now accepting application from Aboriginal not-for-profits in BC that would like to enhance their organizational effectiveness.
http://www.centreforsustainability.ca/tap/

Work BC, Ministry of Economic Development
Provides easy access to information on how to search for new employment, transition to a new career and how to build the workforces in rural British Columbia.
http://www.workbc.ca