Trading Up to A Tech Hub Requires Accountability  |  June 19, 2009  

If BC wants to compete globally, we need to focus on knowledge based industries through better education and training that goes beyond support for traditional trades. Of course, this has been a longtime goal of BCTIA members. It was emphasized again by BCTIA President Pascal Spothelfer in his pre-election commentary, in regard to the Business Council of BC on the Opportunities BC 2020 project. However, while government can support private enterprise in this aim of creating a tech hub, but there must also be accountability from our side.

It has always been a challenge to find enough smart people who can drive our technology sector. As Spothelfer pointed out, the Liberal government’s (and NDP platform’s) focus so far on apprenticeship programs that focus on the traditional trades is not what’s going to help build a world-class technology cluster right here in BC. But if government is going to help us by giving us resources, the corporate side also has an obligation to be accountable: this means continuing to provide training, certification and ongoing education towards our government partners.

A successful tech hub stemming from a successful partnership based on accountability on both sides is our goal. As technology sector professionals, we are perhaps more aware of the benefits that might even cause other political priorities may be made less relevant.

After all, the question of what is a fair minimum wage fades into the background when everyone from the entry-level worker on up to the president of the company is does well by exporting technology products and services that can’t be duplicated easily elsewhere. Technology companies pay their employees better than most other sectors, so a healthy tech sector also translates into bigger tax revenue for government. Then there are the benefits in terms of a lower carbon footprint from the tech sector as compared with traditional resource-based industries, and better opportunities for finding highly-trained support staff for our technology-driven health sector.

Our province and the rest of the country have a lot to gain from building a tech hub where companies are encouraged not just to start companies, but to grow these organizations into larger entities employing and benefiting people living right here.

The traditional trades are certainly important to our provincial and national economy. But we would echo Mr. Spothelfer’s remarks on a need for government re-focus towards technology, and hope that we can help build solutions that allow knowledge workers to improve their skills and their ability to commercialize intellectual property. In this way, we can help make BC not just the most beautiful place, but the smartest as well.

Vaclav Vincalek
Pacific Coast Informer Blog