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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2014
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School District buys five new school buses By Chris Gareau Black Press
SEASON for holly
Jackie Lieuwen/Houston Today
Margaret Regnerus paints Christmas cartoons on windows at the Houston mall Thursday. Regnerus has done painting for the past three years to help decorate the mall for the season.
The Bulkley Valley School District 54 is spending almost $533,000 on five new school buses. The only added route will be to bring Houston students to Smithers for trades programs according to superintendent Chris van der Mark. The smallest new bus will be making that run. “That’s the only added route; and it’s a mini-bus… they can hold 24 kids,” said van der Mark. The school district’s board passed the bylaw to buy the buses at its last meeting in its current form last Tuesday night.
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It’s “to bring Houston students to Smithers for trades programs.” - Superintendent Chris van der Mark
New trustees for Smithers and Telkwa were chosen by the Nov. 15 elections. The other four, larger school buses will be used to replace older buses on routes already bringing kids to school.
Regional district addresses labour shortages in the region By Flavio Nienow Black Press
A launch event was held to introduce stakeholders and community members to the Regional Skills Gap Analysis project at the Vineyard Church in Burns Lake on Nov. 19, 2014. The project is aimed
to develop strategies that would address the regional skills gap. According to a report by the Regional District of BulkleyNechako (RDNB), many communities struggle with high unemployment while companies are having difficulty in finding workers with the right
skills. To address this dilemma, the regional district took action to understand this dynamic and respond with a set of initiatives by creating the Regional Skills Gap Analysis project. The project’s main goals included identifying and filling
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labour market gaps; increasing the skill level of residents in the RDBN to secure employment; attracting skilled employees to the region; supporting regional businesses by sourcing skilled labour; and enhancing programming options at regional colleges.
The project was completed in January 2014, and the final report that identifies recommended goals and strategic actions was adopted by the regional district’s board of directors. Approximately 30 individuals from across the region are part of the
Strategic Workforce Opportunities Team (SWOT), a group responsible to ensure the implementation of actions recommended in the Regional Skills Gap Analysis. The SWOT includes regional stakeholders representing education, industry, employment, economic
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development, local government and First Nations. The regional district hired the services of a community d e v e l o p m e n t consulting firm called Millier Dickinson Blais to assist them in the creation of this project. See GAP on Page 2
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