NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 2007OTP0030-000321 March 27, 2007	Office of the Premier Ministry of Advanced Education B.C. Public Service Agency
PREMIER LAUNCHES NEW INVESTMENT IN B.C. PUBLIC SERVICE

VICTORIA – Scholarships, research fellowships and student loan forgiveness are part of a new program to give the B.C. Public Service a competitive edge in recruiting and retaining top employees for the future, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today.

 

“Government faces the same demographic-driven recruitment challenges as private sector employers, and the new Pacific Leaders program is the first major step in our strategy to reinvent the public service as a competitive and attractive employer,” Campbell said.

 

“As the largest employer in the province, we need to be able to compete with the private sector for skilled workers so we can continue to deliver the services British Columbians expect and deserve. That means supporting the career development of the employees we have and also those who choose to join the public service as some of our most experienced employees near retirement.”

 

Following through on a commitment made in this year’s throne speech, the Pacific Leaders program includes four key components:

• 20 graduate student fellowships of $20,000 to be awarded each year to talented academics conducting research related to government priorities and in areas of current and future skills shortages. Fellowship winners will have opportunities to build careers in the public service once they finish their degrees.
• A program to forgive B.C. student loans for employees who work in the public service for three years.
• Scholarships of up to $7,500 for members of the public service who want to pursue further education to fulfil their career paths and meet the government’s current and future skill needs. Scholarship recipients will be expected to continue working in the public service following completion of their education program.
• Up to 60 scholarships annually of $2,500 for children whose parents have been employees of the public service for at least three years.

 

            The $1.75-million cost of the Pacific Leaders program for 2007-08 will be funded through savings achieved across government by improving the use of external consultants and making more of those opportunities available for the development of current public service employees. Information on Pacific Leaders scholarships, fellowships and loan forgiveness is available online at www.pacificleaders.gov.bc.ca.

 

            The program is part of a broader plan to strengthen the competitiveness of the B.C. Public Service as an employer. The Province is also launching an aggressive new recruitment campaign under the brand “Where ideas work” that promotes the public service as an innovative and dynamic career choice.

 

            By 2015, 45 per cent of managers and 35 per cent of bargaining unit employees will be eligible to retire from the B.C. Public Service. The public service is the largest employer in the province, with over 30,000 employees living and working in more than 280 B.C. communities.

 

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4 factsheet(s) attached.
Media contact:	Mike Morton Press Secretary Office of the Premier 250 213-8218	Corinna Filion Communications Manager Ministry of Advanced Education 250 952-6400 250 812-7977 (cell)
	Anne McKinnon Public Affairs Director BC Public Service Agency 250 953-3677
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.