MAPLE RIDGE, B.C. — The federal government is helping bolster future heavy equipment operators in B.C. by providing $575,000 over three years in the IUOE-TA Indigenous Training Partnerships Project, delivered by the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 115 Training Association in the Greater Vancouver Area.
The funding supports Local 115’s purchase of state-of-the-art equipment, which includes a crane and excavator, in turn helping participants as they develop their skills to help them get jobs in the mobile crane operator and heavy equipment operator Red Seal trades.
The funding falls under the federal Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP), which invests in training equipment and materials.
“The new crane and excavator will provide our students with the best in hands-on experience. This equipment will ensure a training focus on safety and quality and help us to build a skilled and inclusive workforce for the future,” said IUOE Local 115 business manager Brian Cochrane in a statement.
The UTIP will roll out with approximately $10 million for 2017–18 and $25 million annually thereafter to be allocated in two streams. Stream 1 supports cost-shared purchases of equipment and materials for union-led training, while Stream 2 supports innovative approaches to address challenges that limit apprenticeship outcomes, with union involvement, explains a release.
The UTIP’s objective is to improve the quality of training in the trades to better support a skilled, inclusive, certified and productive trades workforce. It also aims to address barriers that prevent underrepresented groups, such as women and Indigenous people, from succeeding in the trades.
To further help key groups facing barriers, Budget 2018 announced three initiatives, $46 million over five years for a new Pre-Apprenticeship Program, starting in 2018–19, with $10 million per year; $19.9 million over five years to support an Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women, starting in 2018–19. The initiative includes a five-year pilot project where women in male-dominated Red Seal trades would receive a new grant of $3,000 for each of their first two years of training.
This, in combination with the existing Apprenticeship Completion Grant, valued at $2,000, will result in a total of $8,000 in support over the course of their training.
Starting in 2018–19, the government will contribute $10 million over three years for the new Women in Construction Fund which will build on existing models that have proven to be effective in attracting women to the trades. These models provide supports such as mentoring, coaching and tailored initiatives that help women progress through their training and find and retain jobs in the trades, the release reads.
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