Abstract

As British Columbia's economy is increasingly shaped by post-industrial circumstances, it becomes necessary for that province, like others in Canada, to ensure that it has an adequate supply of workers with "new economy" knowledge and skills. How best to prepare people for "inter- mediate" skill work, requiring less than a university degree but more than secondary schooling, is the focus of this paper. An explanation of the need for different skills is followed by an analysis of recent interme- diate skill development policy and practice in B.C. That analysis draws particular attention to the roles of public and private training providers and concludes that these roles have been more overlapping than comple- mentary. The paper concludes with the presentation of five policy choices for government and the higher education community to consider as they address new labour force needs in a context of funding con- straints and changing social policy priorities. The need to design and develop a much more sophisticated, policy-oriented information base on intermediate skill development is presented as a major recommendation for follow up action.