The program which is the creation of the Cities of Prince Rupert and Terrace, along with the District of Kitimat and Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine received close to $176,000 dollars in funding in April from the Province of British Columbia's Rural Divided Fund.
The project which has been in the planning stages since 2017 is designed to develop a marketing and human resource strategy with the aim to showcase the Northwest.
"The overall goals of this project are to increase skilled and unskilled labour forces in order to fill local employment needs and to retain the existing workforce. “The goal of the partnership is to establish the region as a top choice to work and live in our province. This funding is the financial support we need to put that plan into action,” -- Mayor Lee Brain
Further background on the project from the local government perspective can be explored here.
Some past notes on the theme of the City of Prince Rupert's focus on worker retention can be found below:
May 2018 -- Hiring pressures and employee retention the focus of study presented to City Council
January 2018 -- Prince Rupert and other Northwest communities hire consultant to deliver on resident workforce plans
December 2017 -- City of Prince Rupert joins regional partners as part of workforce attraction project
May 2017 -- City of Prince Rupert to join Northwest initiative for worker recruitment
The program to be launched this year is being co-ordinated by the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine which has provided the pertinent details for would be proponents to the BC Bid site.
The introduction to the project, provides a glimpse as to how the local governments see the program coming together.
The Regional District and its partners had a research-based marketing plan completed in early 2018 to lay out the best way to promote the region, help employers fill workforce gaps and retain residents for the vibrancy and economic stability of northwestern communities. A grant from the Rural Dividend will support the first two years of the project, which is designed to be a five-year marketing campaign (resource dependent).
The Project management committee is composed of economic development staff from each participating community, along with their corresponding communications staff, who will be tasked with project implementation, public and media relations tasks based on products developed by this initiative.
The prospectus for applicants notes that the project budget is intended to be a maximum of $260,000, with an intention to apply for additional grant funding to support extension and or expansion of the project.
Some of the areas where the local governments would like to see the process evolve towards include elements such as Market Research, Regional Brand Development, Regional Portal Website, PR and media relations, social media, film content and Regional marketing.
The deadline for those that are interested in submitting a proposal to take on the project is June 6th.
You can review the full documentation on the process from the BC Bid site, click on item 154 on the BC Bid index, the Workforce program is RFP ED02.
For more items of note from Prince Rupert City Council, see our Council Discussion page here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review
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