Planning for the future

The holiday season is a time when British Columbians reflect on what the past year has brought them and look to new opportunities ahead

The holiday season is a time when British Columbians reflect on what the past year has brought them and look to new opportunities that lie ahead.

Many will decide the time is right to get post-secondary education and training, and that decision has never been more important, according to the provincial government, which is reminding people of its online education planning tool at, database.EducationPlannerBC.

The government says it is the best resource for prospective students, parents and school counsellors wanting to understand what post-secondary education and training is offered in British Columbia, how they can access it and where it can lead them.

The EducationPlannerBC searchable database (educationplannerbc.ca) has:

n Planning tools such as links to WorkBC career profiles, labour market information including the Blueprint Builder, and WorkBC’s Career Compass and Career Trek.

n Information on 2,100 post-secondary programs at 25 post-secondary institutions, and information on interdisciplinary programs and student financial aid.

n An application function that allows users to create a single user account that they can then use to apply to 25 public post-secondary institutions.

The hard work students will put into researching, applying for and completing post-secondary education is an investment that pays off.

The 2025 B.C. Labour Market Outlook forecasts almost one million job openings in the province over the next 10 years and says the gateway to 80 per cent of those opportunities is post-secondary education and training.

Campbell River Mirror