Governments have been exploring ways to obtain better value from their procurement expenditures by attaching additional employment conditions to their contract tender documents. These require successful bidders to provide training and jobs for members of local communities or equity groups. In 2018, the British Columbia government created a public corporation, BC Infrastructure Benefits (BCIB) to employ the construction workforce on major public infrastructure projects, establishing an ambitious 25% apprenticeship target. It sought to expand the labour pool through recruiting, training and employing more women, Indigenous workers and people with disabilities. To obtain union support and enlist their members as onsite apprenticeship mentors, BCIB negotiated a community benefits agreement (CBA) covering its 10 infrastructure projects. BCIB also established a payroll-based data system to track progress and facilitate timely interventions to improve training outcomes. To address racism, sexism and homophobia in worksites, BCIB created a mandatory, two-day Respectful Onsite Initiative orientation programme. By December 2024, its workers had logged 7.5 million onsite construction hours, making BCIB the second largest provincial construction employer. Its apprenticeship and training outcomes exceed the rest of the industry, confirming that public procurement is a valuable tool for promoting vocational education and training (VET). © 2025 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.
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