VANCOUVER – The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is adopting a version of a microcredential program originally created for U.K. apprenticeships and designed to encourage B.C. high school students to pursue careers in architecture, construction and engineering.
The BCIT pilot of the Entry Skills for Architectural, Construction, and Engineering Fields (ACE) microcredential program is an adapted version of of PlanBEE, a U.K. apprenticeship program created by Ryder Architecture and Gateshead College in 2016.
In British Columbia the ACE microcredential provides a one-year, paid, work-integrated learning construction industry experience and the opportunity to pursue subsequent post-secondary education, a Ryder release stated.
Academic learning is interspersed with two six-month paid internships and is BCIT’s first microcredential program offering high school students hands-on learning along with site visits.
“By facilitating paid, industry work experience, we’re helping shape the future of these sectors, fostering the growth of new generations of architects, engineers and construction professionals. Innovation in the construction industry will not take place unless we drive innovation in construction education,” Ryder Vancouver office principal Adam James said in a release.
“PlanBEE has directly improved the construction industry’s talent development and has brought great benefits to employers, and we’re confident businesses in Vancouver will experience the same impact. These kinds of apprenticeships are vital to futureproofing key industries and equipping workforces with the work-ready skills they need to succeed,” Gateshead College deputy principal Chris Toon added.
The Vancouver program will feature U.K. and Canadian employer sponsors sharing best practices on relevant topics such as net-zero design and construction, adaptive reuse, modular construction and mass timber design.
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