In your community or our classroom - explore these training and interactive exercises that can be implemented in your community to support and encourage economic development.
In 2012, the British Columbia Economic Development Association established the Economic Disaster Recovery Program following the Burns Lake Mill Explosion. Following this work, BCEDA then was asked to assist the International Economic Development Council and the US Department of Commerce in refining the US Economic Recovery Framework. Since then, BCEDA has participated in economic disaster recovery worldwide - 2013 Southern Alberta floods, 2017/18 BC wildfires, US Virgins Islands, Flin Flon, MB, Grand Forks, BC, Montgomery County, OH and the US Mariana Islands. While each disaster is unique, the basics are the same. Residents, Businesses and Communities are impacted and the support needs to be given to help them recover. Programs must be developed to meet the immediate needs of the community. BCEDA has developed workshops to help communities be better prepared to overcome the economic impacts of disasters. Please contact BCEDA for pricing and more details.
"The BCEDA workshop “Economic Development for Local Leaders” has become a best practice in the Venture Kamloops model for delivery of economic development services to the City of Kamloops. Our relationship with Mayor and council has been strengthened by the knowledge and insight that the workshop provides to our local elected officials. The productivity and excellent communication we enjoy with city hall can be attributed to the investment we’ve made in bring the BCEDA workshops to our leaders." Jim Anderson, Executive Director - Venture Kamloops
Training can be delivered virtually or in-person, adhering to social distancing measures with under 50 capacity.
Beyond COVID-19 Economic Development Course Outlines BCEDA is focused on supporting communities and their economic recovery post-COVID. The pandemic provided a timely opportunity for the development of new course material as economies faces increasingly unprecedented challenges like never before. It is a crucial time for communities to understand and respond to the need for growing, strong local economies. Click here to view the 2020 BCEDA Professioinal Development Catalogue.
Community/Region-Based Offerings (2022)
Business Engagement in a Post-COVID19 Environment (Business Retention and Expansion - 1, 3, and 5-day options) Business retention, and fostering the expansion of existing businesses, is the foundation of any sound economic development program. And it should be! Changes in the global, national and regional marketplace have increased pressure on firms to become more efficient to seek out and take advantage of profit opportunities and, now, COVID-19 has reshaped the business landscape. These are not normal times. Economic development must change with the environment and learn how to engage with local businesses to gather solid business and worker impact data to inform local leadership’s response and create resiliency in communities.
This course explores strategies to retain the existing economic base by making businesses and the communities that house them more competitive. Issues covered include how to apply a wide range of economic development resources, tools, and techniques to support local businesses through the creation of a successful business retention and expansion program. In addition to learning ways to engage with local business in an everyday environment you will also learn ways to do it during and after a disaster whether it is a fire, flood or even a pandemic. Several training options are available for Business Retention and Expansion programs including a one-day session, three days and a five day. Costs vary. Email dwheeldon@bceda.ca for more information on stakeholder group pricing and availability. Investment Attraction in a Post-COVID19 Environment Every community is looking at ways to attract new investment to the community. While this is not the most important economic development function, it is a critical expectation of every program. Unpredictable events and crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic pose significant challenges to communities their investment attraction efforts. Economic developers are at the forefront of business attraction and need to be ready to react quickly to these challenges. COVID-19’s impact on foreign direct investment has been significant with projected drop in FDI, changes to wider government policies and pressure on public budgets.
This one-day interactive course is designed to increase a community’s understanding of business investment and attraction as a strategy in economic development. It will help you determine if your community is investment ready, how to identify “realistic” targets, developing a strategy, introduction to site selectors and the different phases they go through, and measuring success. In this session we will also outline new ways of communication, post-COVID, with external clients and how to use new innovative tools to highlight what your community has to offer. Email dwheeldon@bceda.ca for more information on stakeholder group pricing and availability. Economic Development for Local Leaders – Post-COVID19 Version To be successful in today's competitive economic development community leaders need and want to understand the different aspects of economic development. Since 2011, BCEDA has delivered more than 75 full days Economic Development for Local Leaders workshops to more than 1500 local leaders in communities throughout North America making these workshops one of the most delivered in North America. The workshops, designed for local and regional governments and Indigenous communities, aim to assist communities to expand their capacity, knowledge and skill sets to ensure economic sustainability and future growth.
These workshops are fully customizable. However, typical content includes an introduction to the field of economic development and the different structures, Strategic Planning, essential tools, Business Retention, Business Attraction and Investment Readiness, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Workforce Development and more. You will hear of successful initiatives in each category that have been done globally to show you how risk and imagination is all an important part of economic development. Through a combination of presentations and interactive exercises, participants will help to develop a list of initiatives that can be implemented in the community to support and encourage economic development. A brief report is provided within two weeks of the workshop to all participants with the initiatives summarized to allow for implementation. Email dwheeldon@bceda.ca for more information on stakeholder group pricing and availability. The 13 Things You Need to Know for Successful Economic Development (Local Governments) This new, interactive half-day workshop, covers the new resource manual launched in the summer of 2017 by BCEDA. Recognizing the impacts of COVID-19 this session has been updated to incorporate how the “13 Things” have changed but still must remain as top priorities for a strong economy. The reasons why a community will engage in economic development activities varies greatly. Each community has unique characteristics and own reasons for actively engaging in economic development. Communities understand to create economic diversity, maintain and expand infrastructure, create a sustainable economy and to increase their ability to meet the needs of residents and businesses; they need to develop their economic development focus and goals. The more you understand about economic development, the more effective you can be in supporting your community’s economic development efforts. This session is directed to all elected leaders including Mayors, Chiefs, council members and regional directors as well as economic development boards and team members. All participants are provided with a complimentary copy of the resource manual. Email dwheeldon@bceda.ca for more information on stakeholder group pricing and availability. The 13 Things You Need to Know for Successful Economic Development (Indigenous Communities) This interactive half-day workshop, covers the new resource manual launched in the summer of 2017 by BCEDA and is specifically designed for Indigenous Communities. Recognizing the impacts of COVID-19 this session has been updated to incorporate how the “13 Things” have changed but still must remain as top priorities for a strong economy. It was first delivered with rave reviews to over 100 Indigenous leaders from around BC in December 2017. The reasons why an Indigenous community will engage in economic development activities varies greatly. Each community has unique characteristics and own reasons for actively engaging in economic development. Communities understand to create economic diversity, maintain and expand infrastructure, create a sustainable economy and to increase their ability to meet the needs of residents and businesses; they need to develop their economic development focus and goals. The more you understand about economic development, the more effective you can be in supporting your community’s economic development efforts. This session is directed to all elected leaders including Chief and Council, Economic Development Corporations and all staff. Participants are provided with a complimentary copy of the resource manual. Email dwheeldon@bceda.ca for more information on stakeholder group pricing and availability. Making Economic Resiliency and Recovery The New Norm All over the world, communities and their economic development efforts are navigating uncharted waters. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened many questions about a post-COVID economy. While COVID-19 has been a devasting disaster affecting the world there are other disasters that can happen at any time and hit at a more local level. It does not matter if it is a flood, a fire, the closure of your major employer or something else that unexpectantly negatively impacts your economy. These disasters seem to be happening more frequently and your community needs to be prepared to ensure you have a resilient community if one happens.
BCEDA, as a leader in Economic Recovery in Canada, is now delivering workshops in a variety of formats. We offer a 90 minutes crash course, a full day condensed but comprehensive session that will get you well on your way to developing a plan, or a two-day extensive session that will provide you with the tools and resources to help you become a more resilient community. It is available in both a one day condensed, and two day full version. Email dwheeldon@bceda.ca for more information on stakeholder group pricing and availability.
Classroom-Based Offerings (2022)
Western Economic Development Course - Postponed to Fall 2023 The Western Economic Development Course provides a solid foundation for entry-level economic development practitioners or seasoned economic developers looking to update current skills and to be aware of the current trends. This Basic Economic Development Course serves as the equivalent to IEDC's Introduction to Economic Development course in preparation for the IEDC Certification exam and is the only one offered in Canada. Accreditation by both IEDC and EDAC ensures that each BEDC covers subject areas determined to be the core building blocks in any economic development organization. This three and a half day course is delivered by experienced professionals in the economic development industry and is held every fall in Vancouver, BC. Email info@bceda.ca for more information on pricing and availability.