Province offers tech incentive to hire underrepresented workers. (Photo 57261876 © Andrea De Martin | Dreamstime.com)

By Kevin Rothwell

$1.5 million fund

Incentives offered to hire underrepresented tech workers

Jun 9, 2021 | 12:39 PM

VICTORIA — The B.C. government will offer $5,000 placement bonuses for up to 3,000 people at businesses that are hiring for tech or tech-related jobs.

The province will spend $15 million in the Innovator Skills Initiative (ISI) to prioritize under-represented people in the technology sector, by supplementing the salary of a new hire.

“Too many well-deserving women, gender-diverse people, Indigenous, black and people of colour, and other marginalized communities have struggled to enter the growing technology sector and this needs to change,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.

Brenda Bailey, Parliamentary Secretary for Technology and Innovation co-founded Canada’s first women-owned and operated video game studio in 2011. As part of her mandate, Bailey is committed to ensuring placements for under-represented people are available in the tech sector by increasing the number of ISI grants, and that B.C. based tech companies can hire and grow.

The engagement sessions will include women and gender-diverse people, indigenous, black and people of colour and people with disabilities.

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Meetings will take place with various groups, such as Inclusion BC, Black Entrepreneurs and Businesses of Canada Society, Black Business Association of BC, Ethos Lab, MOSAIC, Traction on Demand, First Nations Technology Council, and Jelly Digital Marketing and other identified groups. Consultations started in May and will run until end of June.

“We want to ensure under-represented people have access to the career opportunities that they deserve,” Bailey said. “The B.C. government is proud to provide grants that will help fund up to 3,000 paid positions for people who have historically been under-represented in the tech sector. Filling these jobs will make a positive difference to the B.C. economy, particularly for communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.”

The ISI is administered by Innovate BC, a Crown agency that connects innovators in every industry and region with funding, resources and the support they need to build and grow companies.

“B.C. companies need tech talent to succeed in today’s economy,” Andrew Petter, chair of Innovate BC said. “By assisting under-represented people to secure tech jobs, the ISI program creates a double benefit—it opens doors of opportunity for workers while helping B.C. businesses to grow and thrive.”

Feedback collected through the engagement process will be used to shape the ISI program to ensure it prioritizes inclusion and will be more accessible to under-represented people.

Applications are expected to open in summer 2021 for placements to the program in fall 2021.