Ontario’s Carpenters’ union train for solar array construction and assembly

London’s Carpenters and Allied Workers Local 1946 is the first facility in Canada to offer training from the ground up in the construction and assembly of racking and panel arrays for solar farms.

“It is very precise work to ensure that the panels work the way they should,” says Kevin Hoy, president, Local 1946.

Training, which started earlier this month, is at Local 1946’s new 31,000 square foot centre in London, Ont.

Following in Local 1946’s footsteps is Carpenters Local 27, Vaughan, Ont., the second fully-equipped training centre to provide instruction in solar farm assembly. At both training centres, the arrays are fitted with custom feet for ease of installation on the concrete floors.

“It’s a ground up construction experience in a controlled environment,” points out Paul Daly, vice-president, Carpenters Local 27, and provincial solar coordinator for the Carpenters District Council of Ontario.

“This is an example how the Carpenters union is looking to the future for new work opportunities,” says Daly.