By Adam Donnelly

Careers in automotive sector on the rise

Mar 14, 2016 | 5:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s an industry which makes up two percent of the gross domestic product in the province; members of BC Automotive Sector Alliance joined Minister Of Transportation and Infrastructure, Todd Stone, in Kamloops on Saturday to announce a new strategy to help attract a new workforce to the automotive sector.

The initiative is in response to the expected need for skilled workers in the automotive sector in the next decade. It’s estimated twenty thousand new jobs will be available in the next 10 years. Blair Qualey, is the President of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. He says the nature of many auto sector jobs has changed as a result of the technology we see in many new vehicles.

The initiative includes an outreach program to high school students, as well as a centralized job board, located on www.bcautocareers.ca. Ken McCormack, with the Automotive Retailers Association says this program is crucial to the auto sector, moving forward.