Cars in remote B.C. a must for job seekers
B.C. Hydro offers driving and skills training programs to bolster workforce in the North
Getting a driver’s licence was once a rite of passage, and practically even part of the highschool curriculum. Yet, for three decades, the number of young North Americans with driver’s licences has been declining.
That is partly because the population is increasingly urban, which means it is easier and cheaper to walk, ride, take taxis or transit. But the declines aren’t just in urban areas, as Postmedia reported earlier this year.
Another contributor to the decline may be efforts in many jurisdictions (including B.C.) to reduce accidents and insurance rates by making it more difficult to get a driver’s licence.
Yet, with fewer drivers, it’s harder to find people to fill jobs in rural and remote communities.
B.C. Hydro’s Sharon MacLeod had that a-ha moment last winter, while she was waiting for a job seeker to show up for an interview in Fort St. John. She discovered that the interviewee was hitchhiking to the appointment from Halfway River First Nation.
MacLeod, a specialist in Aboriginal employment and business development, later asked 16 students in the company’s Pathways to Success program how many had a driver’s licence. Only two hands went up.
“I know across the province, not having a driver’s licence is one of the main barriers to employment,” MacLeod said in a phone interview from Dawson Creek. “But it’s so tough now to get your driver’s licence.”
It starts with a written test to get a learner’s licence. The Insurance Corp. of B.C., which administers the testing, jauntily notes on its website: “Don’t worry, if you don’t get your L on your first try, you can always take the test again the next day. (There’s a fee each time.)”
It urges applicants to study, watch supplied videos, work on the practice questions at home, as well as download the training book or an app on your smartphone.
But in remote areas, access to high-speed internet or even cellphone coverage can be spotty.
Then, you have to get to the testing site. If you live on the Blueberry River reserve, for example, that means a five-hour round-trip drive to Dawson Creek — assuming someone is willing to take the time and pay the cost of that, which is on top of the $15 test fee (which, strangely, ICBC waives for seniors).
So, if you fail? It’s a long road home and, just maybe, you’re not willing to try again.
Yet, there are very few jobs in the north that don’t require a driver’s licence. There are few alternatives for getting to work other than driving or hitchhiking, and the so-called Highway of Tears provides a stark reminder of the dangers of hitchhiking for women.
Because of MacLeod’s a-ha moment, Hydro now runs drivertraining programs alongside its other skills training sessions.
Since June, 20 people have got their learner’s permits. Josh Apsassin Paquette is one of them.
“It feels really great,” he said in a phone interview from Dawson Creek. “That first feeling behind the wheel? You can’t believe you’ve got this far.”
After high school in Dawson Creek, he went back to the Blueberry River First Nation.
“I was really doing nothing. I was around a lot of negativity back at home — drinking alcohol and drugs. I wanted to get away from that and move away from the rez.”
At a cousin’s suggestion, he signed up for Hydro’s Essential Skills to Trades program at Northern Lights College.
“It’s changed me . ... It really made me realize that I can accomplish stuff. It made me want show up every day because I’m meeting new people. I feel confident.”
Apsassin Paquette now hopes to continue with either carpentry or welding training. But he knows that to do either, he will need to be able to drive to the job site.
He has already bought a car — a 2009 Mitsubishi — and is getting in as much practice as he can with mom along for the ride. That is one of many restrictions on new drivers — they have to have someone with them who has a full driver’s licence, and they can take only one other passenger. They can’t drive past 11 p.m.
Within a year, he will be eligible to turn that L into an N. But before then, Hydro is paying for professional trainers to work with him and others from Halfway River, Doig River, Blueberry River and McLeod Lake First Nations to help ensure they pass their next tests — both written and practical.
“Sometimes, it’s just easier to bring the training to people,” says MacLeod. “It’s certainly a more comfortable environment for them.”
It certainly seems a simple fix. Of course, increasing the number of drivers won’t solve double-digit unemployment among youth.
Yet, with a rapidly aging population, we need more young people in the workforce. And if having a driver’s licence helps, more employers and educators need to make that happen.