Fourteen people from Abbotsford will get to try out a variety of trades in a new provincially-funded 19-week program at Sprott Shaw College.

The “Trades for Tomorrow” program will give people looking for a job, placed through WorkBC, their first step toward a trade certification in an in-demand field. It’s provided free of charge to participants, through $104,000 of provincial funding — part of the B.C. Skills for Jobs Blueprint — announced today at Sprott Shaw College’s Abbotsford location.

Students will receive 12 weeks of classroom instruction introducing them to fields like carpentry, plumbing and welding, then seven weeks of on-the-job training through a partnership with a local employer.

“You will be making lots of money,” said MLA Darryl Plecas, adding that many of the fields students will sample have high demand for workers.

After they complete the program, Sprott Shaw staff say they’re hopeful the students will find employers willing to sponsor them for an apprenticeship in a trade.